Electoral Reform

Published On: 12 August 2020

The principle that holders of public office should be accountable
to the citizenry is a key democratic value and is thus central to
the values which underpin the constitution. It is often argued that
democracy here would be strengthened significantly if there were
greater pressures for accountability and the electoral system has
often been seen as a key factor in determining whether public
office bearers are held accountable.
It has long been argued in the South African debate that our current
electoral system, while it ensures a much closer fit between voters’
choice of party and the seats allocated in legislatures, is a key
reason why political representatives are not held accountable by
voters. Because politicians rely on party lists to secure their election,
and these lists are compiled by party leaders, representatives, it is
argued, are accountable to ‘party bosses’ rather than voters. This
obviously implies that a different system would ensure greater
accountability. It is also often argued that the State President
would be more accountable if the person occupying the office were
directly elected by the citizenry.