Opposition parties unite to form Collective for Democracy
A long-awaited agreement was signed today that brings five South African political parties into a formal collective to contest the next election.
SOUTH African’s political landscape took on a new shape on Tuesday when the Collective for Democracy (CD) was formed out of opposition parties represented in the national parliament. Chairing the CD Mosiuoa Lekota of COPE said that over the last few elections the position of the ANC alliance had changed little, and the opposition parties had fought among themselves for support.
“The South African political dynamics have now changed as the diversity of South Africa is now represented effectively in our Collective for Democracy. Millions of voters who never supported the ANC will be joined by millions of voters who are disillusioned with the corruption and ineptitude of the ruling party which seems to have no regard for the desires and needs of the voters. We now have an opportunity to bring voters the hope of actual political change instead of giving up on alternatives because the ruling party has cynically maneuvered its way into all sectors of our society, entrenching its power and corruption,” said Lekota.
The political parties in the Collective for Democracy include the ACDP, COPE, FF+, IFP and the UCDP.
“Other opposition parties may wish to join the CD later,” said Lekota adding, “they will be welcome to do so as long as they can commit themselves to the Joint Areas of Priority and align with the spirit of the Collective.”
He said the CD had been negotiated over a number of years with a view to finding common ground. “The political parties have committed to working together to advance democracy in the country, contesting the next General Election with a view to securing enough representation to form the next government to develop South Africa into a place of personal, community and national fulfillment,” he said.
The agreement centres on the “Joint Areas of Priority” of 20 points which were negotiated and formally accepted at a signing ceremony on Tuesday in Johannesburg.
