Johannesburg - The Department of Home Affairs says Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has issued a gazette inviting members of the public to nominate duly qualified people to serve on the nine-member Electoral Reform Consultation Panel.
The closing date for nominations is June 5, and the invitation is pursuant to the provisions of the Electoral Amendment Act that took effect on April 17.
“The act requires the minister of home affairs to appoint the Electoral Reform Consultation Panel within four months of the effective date of the amendment. The act enjoins the minister to call for public nominations of suitable people. In appointing the consultation panel, the minister must consult the Electoral Commission. Final appointment of members of the panel is subject to the approval of the National Assembly,” said the department.
The panel will be required to independently investigate, consult on, report on and make recommendations in respect of potential reforms of the electoral system for the election of the National Assembly and the election of the provincial legislatures in respect of elections to be held after the 2024 elections.
They will also engage in research and consider the issues falling within its functions, and after the 2024 elections, undertake a public participation process regarding the issues falling within its functions.
The panel must, from the date of its establishment, submit a report to the minister every three months on its progress and, within 12 months of the date of the 2024 elections, submit a report to the minister on the possible options for electoral reform for the election of the National Assembly and the election of the provincial legislatures, which must include: reasons, advantages and disadvantages; legal and constitutional implications; and financial implications for each proposed electoral system or reform identified by the panel.
Political parties like the GOOD Party welcomed the Electoral Reform Consultation Panel. The party said geographically speaking, the constituencies could be improved further by being made up of multi-membered public representatives who are elected based on the municipal district model.
“We have seen internationally that a system similar to this can be extremely effective in ensuring democratic representation from various elected candidates. With this in mind, GOOD notes with concern that independent candidates are effectively still being treated exactly the same as political organisations. This new system, which would see each province become a multi-member constituency (MMC), would offer little protection to these candidates from being dominated by political organisations,” said the party.
The party also hoped the reform panel would make recommendations that would be seriously considered as part of the long-term work to improve democracy.
The IFP however said it was concerned with the decision to grant the minister the sole prerogative to appoint such a panel,
“It is not clear why such executive overreach is necessary. Electoral reform is not an executive function. The National Assembly should have retained the power to establish the panel, as the authority to prescribe an electoral system is vested in the National Assembly in terms of Section 46(1)(a) of the Constitution,” said the party.
The Star