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Date: 2009-03-19 to Invalid date

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ISS Briefing: South African Voter Trends and Election Campaigns

Date: 2009-03-19 to Invalid date

ISS Briefing: South African Voter Trends and Election Campaigns
Cape Town, 19 March 2009

 

Presented by the Corruption and Governance Programme

 

South African voters go to the polls in their fourth national and provincial elections on 22 April 2009. While elections are regular, free and fair we too seldom take stock of the quality of South Africa’s democracy.

 

The increasing electoral dominance of the ANC governing party and the fragmentation of the opposition has generated consensus among analysts that electoral politics is predictable. Race has been cited as a major driver of voter behaviour. As a result, government’s performance, even when poor, is seen as largely irrelevant to the outcome.

 

This has raised serious concerns about the possibility of genuine multi-party competition and the extent to which elections act as a mechanism to hold government to account.

 

Yet electoral politics may not be as predictable as is often thought. Recent findings suggest that the 2009 Elections offer real scope for the emergence of new electoral trends in South Africa.

 

Discussion will focus on key questions:

 

  • Do South African voters still identify with political parties?

  • Does race influence voter choice?

  • Will voters punish poor government performance?

  • Are elections an effective mechanism for government accountability?

  • Do party campaigns offer voters real choices?

  • Is there partisan bias in media coverage?

 

Speakers:

 

  • Collette Schulz-Herzenberg is a Senior Researcher at the Institute for Security Studies Corruption and Governance Programme. She has recently completed her PhD in Political Studies at the University of Cape Town (UCT), specialising in South African voter behaviour.

  • Cherrel Africa is a lecturer in the Political Studies Department at UCT and a Project Manager at the Centre for Social Science Research (CSSR). She was recently awarded her PhD in Political Studies at UCT, specialising in party campaigning.

 

Discussant: Kwandi Kondlo, Executive Director, Democracy and Governance Programme, Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC)

 

Date: Thursday, 19 March 2009
Time: 09h00-11h00 (Snacks will be served)
Venue: Centre for the Book, 62 Queen Victoria Street, Cape Town

 

RSVP: Please register below. For more information please email Ms Shahnaaz Parker: [email protected]

 

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