Experts don’t anticipate economic foreign policy to be hurdle for parties in coalition discussions

JOHANNESBURG - International relations experts don't anticipate economic foreign policy to be a hurdle for parties discussing forming a coalition government.

With the African National Congress (ANC) having lost its 30-year national majority, the seventh democratic administration will be a coalition government.

ALSO READ:

- New administration must apply steady hand in dealing with SA economic issues – economists

- SA's coalition negotiations expected to shake the markets

- ANC-DA coalition likely to ease market shivers, say economists

Represented political parties will be meeting over the next week behind closed doors to find common ground on a number of issues concerning governance.

International relations lecturer at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), Siphamandla Zondi, said the country's international trade agreements – like the African Growth and Opportunity Act AGOA and BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) - were likely to stay intact.

"The major issue for South Africa’s foreign policy is economic diplomacy, getting out there, building relations that matter, relations that can feed people, relations that can overcome poverty - all political understand that and they are attached to it."

Honorary professor of international relations at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), John Stremlau, said the Palestine-Israel conflict is where many of the parties disagreed.

"I would hope that you could find a way to make this issue not a partisan one. After all, the overwhelming concern of the South African people is for unemployment, inequality, and trying to get poverty alleviated for the masses of voters who express frustration with the ANC."