Coalitions Bill: SA must learn from Denmark to end municipal instability
As Parliament processes the Coalitions Bill, Dr Zweli Mkhize argues that legislation alone cannot guarantee stable coalition governments. Drawing on lessons from Denmark, he says South Africa needs political good faith, stronger accountability, room for meaningful negotiations and a culture of cooperation to ensure coalitions deliver effective local government.
The Coalitions Bill, tabled in parliament recently, aims to address the growing issue of municipal instability caused by coalition politics in South Africa. The bill seeks to provide a legislative framework for the formation and management of coalition governments, as well as systems to minimize the challenges associated with coalitions in the local government sphere.
Denmark's experience with coalition governments has provided valuable lessons for South Africa. Firstly, successful coalition governance is not solely dependent on legal rules but also on a political culture of trust and willingness to compromise. Coalition agreements in Denmark are written agreements that outline common policy objectives and commitments.
However, these agreements are not legally enforceable and rely on trust among parties. Voters expect political leaders to honor these agreements, creating public accountability that maintains discipline within the coalition.
Another key lesson from Denmark is the importance of a political culture that recognizes compromise as a strength rather than a weakness. In Denmark, mayors are less likely to be removed from office during their term due to shifts in political alliances unless there are exceptional grounds of infringement of the Constitution. This stability and continuity contrasts with South Africa's experience, where hostile take-over bids have resulted in frequent changes in mayors and municipal executives, affecting administrative continuity and decision-making on critical issues.
Denmark's approach to forming coalitions also differs from South Africa's. While South African municipalities must be constituted within 14 days after election results, Danish municipalities can take up to four weeks or even two weeks to form coalition governments, emphasizing the importance of quality negotiations over arbitrary deadlines. Furthermore, Denmark's threshold for representation in parliament is 2%, which balances the principles of proportionality and stability without leading to excessive volatility.
Lastly, the matter of thresholds and kingmaker parties in South Africa is a contentious issue. Denmark's threshold system is based on a trade-off between representation and stability, rather than a strict scientific determination. South Africa should carefully consider the implications of adopting a threshold system and its impact on the executive threshold governing participation in an executive.
Written by urgent.news from IOL's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
