Increase in hung councils could give smaller parties a stronger local govt voice – economist
Roodt said with fewer parties able to govern outright, smaller parties now have greater leverage in coalition negotiations, including the opportunity to push for some of their own policies.
Anelitha Fandese
Picture: Emmanuel Croset/AFP
Emmanuel Croset/AFP
Economist Dawie Roodt said that the increase in hung councils could give smaller political parties a much stronger voice in local government.
Roodt said that with fewer parties able to govern outright, smaller parties now have greater leverage in coalition negotiations, including the opportunity to push for some of their own policies.
He said the impact could also extend beyond the current coalition talks.
Roodt argued that being represented in local councils gives smaller parties greater legitimacy and a platform to build their support ahead of future elections.
He said that this could create opportunities for these parties to grow their support over time.
“I think the fact that we have so many hung councils now in SA is a very, very good thing for everybody except for the big parties because the smaller parties will have much more of a say now and they can actually force through some of their policies as well but it’s not only for today but for the future as well because being part of a local council gives you more legitimacy and chances are quite good that will give the smaller parties the opportunity to do even better going forward.”