Introduction Concept note Media Academic input FAQs
1. What is a coalition government?
A coalition government exists when two or more political parties (or independent representatives) combine their votes in a legislature or a council, to elect a government, and to support the decisions it takes. This becomes necessary when no single party has a majority of the seats in the legislature or council. In local government, a governing coalition is aimed at electing an (executive) mayor, and other members of the executive, and then supporting their proposals on, for example, the budget and municipal policies.
2. Why are coalition governments sometimes necessary?
In South Africa, elections always result in multiple parties being represented in Parliament, a provincial legislature or a municipal council. And the executive leadership (President, premiers and mayors) is always elected by that legislature and can be removed by the legislature. If none of the parties has more than 50% of the seats, a coalition is, therefore, necessary to support the executive. Otherwise the President, premier or mayor is likely to be voted out of power.
3. Is coalition government something new in democratic South Africa?
There have been coalitions since 1994. The first democratic national government after the 1994 elections was a broad-based coalition – a Government of National Unity. There has also been coalitions at a provincial level in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, and there have been coalitions in municipalities, ever since the first democratic local government elections in 2000. However, coalitions have become a major issue since the 2016 and 2021 local government elections, when an increasing number of municipalities, including our biggest cities, had so-called ‘hung councils’, i.e. no single party won a majority of the council seats.
4. How many municipalities in South Africa are currently governed by coalitions?
After the 2021 elections, there were approximately 70 councils where no single party won a majority and coalitions were necessary. Because of by-elections (when the composition of the council may change), this number continues to change. However, it indicates that coalition government is a reality in local government.
5. Are there advantages to coalition governments?
In principle, yes. Coalitions can deepen democracy. One advantage is that a coalition government of multiple political parties will represent different political ideologies, cultures and ideas. This helps to bring communities together, because they see their representatives work together. Another advantage is that a coalition government adopts compromise-based policies. These policies may last longer than policies adopted by one majority party, which may be abolished as soon as it loses power. Lastly, having well-managed coalition governments may make government more stable in the long run.
6. What are the disadvantages of coalition governments? What can go wrong?
In a coalition scenario, the composition of the government may not perfectly reflect the will of the voter. For example, a large party could not be in the government if enough other parties come together against it. At the same time, the smallest party may be part of the government. Second, coalition governments may be unstable. If the coalition partnership is weak, in other words, the parties or their representatives in the legislature or the council end up in a conflict soon after the coalition was formed, it will not last. As a result, decisions are postponed and the legislature or council becomes pre-occupied with politics, as opposed to governance and service delivery.
7. Can we ‘abolish’ coalitions in local government?
The current electoral system (proportional representation), which applies in local government is not designed to produce an outright majority. Therefore, there will always be the possibility of coalition governments in local government, unless the Constitution and the electoral system are changed.
8. How are coalition governments formed in South Africa?
There is no predetermined formula or procedure for forming a coalition. When an election produces a ‘hung council’, the parties and in the council must explore options, find each other, and hopefully negotiate a partnership before the first meeting of the council, when office-bearers are elected. The same applies when a coalition collapses (for example, a motion of no confidence is passed in the mayor): a new partnership must be explored before the next meeting.
9. Can we have stable institutions if they are governed by a coalition?
Yes, this is possible. There are, and have been municipalities that have been stable under a coalition government. International experience also shows that coalitions do not necessarily lead to be unstable institutions. One of the most important elements is the relationship between politics and administration. If there is trouble in a coalition, the day-to-day administration must continue.
10. What role do voters have in coalition governments?
When it comes to the negotiations, the reality is that coalition governments are negotiated between political parties and, where applicable, independent representatives. Because they have to agree to work together in the council or the legislature. This means that the voters are not directly involved and may feel excluded (see above question 6). However, once a coalition government is in place, it is fully accountable to voters and residents for all its decisions, and is duty bound to involve the public in its decision making.
11. Are there best practices on coalition governments?
Yes, even in South Africa we have examples of coalition governments that were stable. Furthermore, there are many countries around the world that are governed by coalitions at national, provincial or local level and that have managed to develop practices that work there. We can learn from those, even if it’s just to realise that coalitions do not have to be unstable. However, we must recognise that our context is different from theirs, and develop homegrown solutions.
12. What can be done to ensure effective coalition governments?
This will be the topic for debate at the Dialogue. But the ingredients must be: (1) changes to the law where appropriate, (2) protecting the administration from potential instability of coalitions, and (3) changes to political culture.
13. Is there a way to regulate coalitions to be more stable?
It is not really possible to force stable coalitions by law. The law cannot prescribe to political representatives how they vote and who they support. Also, the law cannot determine the outcome of political negotiations. However, there may be aspects of the law that can be changed to reduce the prospect of instability. Furthermore, it is possible to regulate a broad framework or guidelines for coalitions. However, it is more important that there is a change in the political culture surrounding coalitions.
14. What is meant with the requirement of a ‘change in political culture’?
Currently, coalition negotiations are too often aimed at short term, and even personal gains. It is too often about what a party or individual can ‘get out of it’ in the form of positions and even financial gain. This must change for coalitions to be sustainable. They need to be aimed finding compromise-based policies for the benefit of communities and residents. And there is a need to develop traditions or conventions - soft rules that exist for the benefit of all political parties and public representatives - that guide every stakeholder engaged in building or sustaining a coalition government.
15. Are there rules for how coalition partners must distribute seats in the executive or in the cabinet? In other words, are there rules for who gets which position?
In principle, there are no rules for the distribution of seats on the executive.
In local government, the executive mayor is elected by a majority vote in the council. The executive mayor then decides which councillors will be appointed to the mayoral committee. He or she can thus choose councillors that are part of the coalition. However, there are also municipalities that don’t have an executive mayor but an executive committee. In those municipalities, it works differently. The mayor is elected by majority vote so that is the same as with the executive mayor. The difference is this: the political composition of the executive committee is determined by a formula that calculates for each party how many executive committee seats it is entitled to.
In national and provincial government, the President and the premiers decide the composition of their cabinet.
16. Does the executive committee system in local government remove the need for coalition negotiations?
The executive committee system limits the scope for negotiations but it does not remove the need for negotiations. The coalition partners must still find agreement on who becomes the mayor. Furthermore, parties that are represented on the executive committee may ‘donate’ seats to other parties. Most importantly, the coalition partners must agree on the budget, policies and decisions that the municipality takes. So there is still a need for negotiations.
17. Who decides whether a municipality has an executive mayor or an executive committee?
The provincial government decides for each municipality which of the two systems will apply in that municipality. Before deciding, the provincial government must consult the municipality.
18. Are coalitions only possible in local government?
No, it can also apply to the national and provincial spheres, as has been at the national government in 1995 and in the Western Cape and Kwa-Zulu Natal. If no single party obtains a majority in the elections for the National Assembly or a provincial legislature, a coalition will be necessary to ensure a stable government.
19. What will the National Dialogue for Coalition Governments focus on?
The National Dialogue will bring representatives from various sectors of society together to discuss coalitions and to work towards solutions.
20. Why is it important to have the National Dialogue for Coalition Governments?
Coalitions are likely to remain a feature of our system of government. Currently, too many coalitions are unstable, with devasting consequences for governance and the delivery of basic services and ultimately, people’s dignity. It does not have to be that way, and this is why it is important to discuss how, as a society, we embrace the reality of coalitions and discuss ways to make them work for the benefit of communities and residents.
21. Why is the National Dialogue held at the University of the Western Cape?
The University of the Western Cape is well known for its struggle against apartheid and its continued fight against oppression, discrimination, and disadvantage in modern-day South Africa. Among other academic institutions, it has been at the forefront of South Africa's historic transformation. UWC’s Community Law Centre (now Dullah Omar Institute after its founding director) played an important role in the consultations on, and drafting of the 1993 and 1996 Constitution. It has also been at the forefront of research and advocacy surrounding the issue of coalitions in local government.
22. What will be expected after the National Dialogue?
The National Dialogue aims to set the scene for a National Framework on Coalition Governments, which will guide management of coalitions and ensure that service delivery and governance are not negatively impacted by disagreements between political parties.
Prepared by
Prof Jaap de Visser
Interim South African Research Chair in Multilevel Government
Dullah Omar Institute, UWC
