The Underlying Trends of Party Support and Voting Patterns in the South African Political Context

The Democracy Development Programme (DDP) is hosting a political forum entitled “The underlying trends of party support and voting patterns in the South African political context” on 26 February 2009 in KwaZulu-Natal.

Recent studies of the South African electorate illuminate three underlying trends since the country’s first democratic elections in 1994. Whilst the number of registered voters has increased, voter turnouts have decreased. Electoral support for both the ANC and opposition parties has declined, and the number of non-partisan or free floating voters has increased. This view of the vote portrays a complex picture of South Africa’s electoral politics that cannot be discerned from voting aggregates alone. It raises prickly questions about party support, voting behaviour and the post-apartheid paradigms of citizenship participation in the political process.

To weigh in on these issues the Democracy Development Programme will be hosting a public discussion to tap the impact of class and race on party support and the corresponding effect on the vote.

Date: 26 February 2009

Time: 17h30 – 20h45

Venue: Southern Sun, Elangeni

RSVP: Nondumiso Makhathini, email: nondumisom@ddpdurban.org.za, fax: 031 306 2261

Enquiries: 031 304 9305

For more information, click here.