Elections 2024: ‘Micro-parties pop up when people aren't represented’
Elections are fast approaching, and the number of political parties is almost overwhelming.
FILE: A voting station sign during voter registration. Picture: Eyewitness News
Lester Kiewit speaks to Tessa Dooms, Director of Programmes at Rivonia Circle.
Listen to the interview in the audio below.
South Africa has roughly 400 political parties and independent candidates contesting the 2024 election.
This is the highest number of parties at the polls in our history, according to the IEC.
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Despite all these parties, many people still have no idea who to vote for.
Dooms says that the new and smaller political parties are largely popping up because people feel that they are not represented by the existing parties.
“People have a frustration that they are not getting access to members of parliament.”
- Tessa Dooms, Director of Programmes at Rivonia Circle
Dooms says that if we want to see fewer parties, we should have constituency-based politics so that people feel represented and don’t feel the need to create micro-parties.
She adds that having so many political parties does show that there is a strong desire to participate, but it also leads to fragmentation.