Most voters don’t know which MP or MPL represents their direct local interests
Questions have been raised about the fairness of the legislation providing for independent candidates to run in parliamentary and provincial elections. Yet it appears that the hurdles inherent in the bill are being bulldozed by the majority party without giving effect to the intention of the Constitutional Court: to enable parliament to become a legislature that represents the needs and interests of the people.
At present, parliamentary and provincial electoral systems provide only for the interests of political parties. I would venture to suggest that 99% of voters don’t know which MP or MPL represents their direct local interests. At least in local government elections voters have an opportunity to vote for a ward candidate they can approach if needed.
Directly elected representatives surely feel a direct responsibility towards their voters rather than towards political party interests. And if that principle is true for local government, then the principle of constituency representation would also provide for a fairer system of parliamentary and provincial government.
In Europe, the German system provides for 50% constituency and 50% party proportional representation. In addition, parties need to obtain at least 5% of the proportional vote to qualify for representation . The FM welcomes concise letters from readers. They can be sent to
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