Expert warns unfriendly regulations threaten independent candidates

While independent parliamentary candidates are vital for the country’s democracy, their cause will be undermined by unfriendly electoral regulations in the 2024 general elections, an expert says.

Overshadowing by dominant political parties

Also, said independent political analyst Daniel Silke, independents may be on the ballot paper, but unless some big-name individuals are fielded as standalone candidates they would not make headway because they will be overshadowed by the dominant political parties.

“I really do not think they will make the threshold to get to parliament. But, of course, time will tell if there will be more substantive names to be put in the hat.”

Silke put the blame squarely on the embedded party-based electoral system, which undermined independents and killed dynamism in the electoral system.

The system made it difficult for independents to run because of a lack of financial and material resources and the fact that individual candidates must fend for themselves in campaigning.

Independent candidates introduced for the first time

Independent candidates have been introduced for the first time in the national and provincial elections in the 2024 general elections.

ALSO READ: South Africans abroad urged to register

But political parties continued to dominate the political scene and public debates and the electorate had shown little interest in them.

“South Africa does not have a culture of independents running in elections. We have a more sophisticated party system that got bigger and bigger and more and more bloated with individuals who believe they should launch their own political parties to get into parliament,” Silke said.

Many individuals who launched political parties could have run as independents. The proliferation of political parties in the country had almost closed out individuals who wanted to run in the polls.

“With so many parties contesting the elections it has become difficult for anybody to stick their necks out of the party crowd. The over-abundance of political parties has created a crowded space and a lot of party noise and that makes it difficult for independents,” Silke said.

Independent candidates to raise diverse issues in their manifestos and campaigns

Policy analyst and civil society activist Nkosikhulule Nyembezi said despite the difficulties, he expected independent candidates to raise diverse issues in their election manifestos and campaigns.

“Independents will elevate the relevance and potency of a diversity of views in the eyes of voters, issues that resonate with communities, including community-specific issues that political parties often overlook,” Nyembezi said.

ALSO READ: MK challenges constitution, critiques voting system

Independents would be able to discuss their views on national media, interacting with audiences of various groups that would not have heard of them or their views before.

“We expect those who win seats to help produce legislative bodies that respect the nation’s opinions and challenge abuse of power through robust discussion and constitutional checks and balances,” Nyembezi said.

Limited votes offered to independent candidates undermined their cause

Silke said the limited votes offered to independent candidates undermined their cause as it was impossible for them to run a national campaign.

“The electoral regulations undermine the effectiveness of what could have been a more interesting election with more independents.

“It’s a pity, because independents add a further dynamic to our political scene,” Silke said.

Unless the electoral rules were reviewed and redrawn, independent candidates would remain largely sidelined despite the vital role they played in enriching the country’s democracy.

ALSO READ: More than 18,000 South Africans living abroad register to vote