Time to bring democracy back to Parliament

This statement from the South African Institute of International Affairs argues that the South African Parliament has become increasingly irrelevant due to a 'democratic deficit' where Members of Parliament (MPs) are accountable to political parties rather than the electorate. The author calls for fundamental reconceptualisation of the institution, specifically through electoral reform and the introduction of a social charter to ensure MP accountability.

• The author asserts that public trust in the South African Parliament has declined to a critical level, suggesting the institution must be either scrapped in its current form or fundamentally reconceptualised. This decline is attributed to Parliament becoming 'increasingly irrelevant' despite constitutional requirements for public involvement in legislative work.
• A primary 'democratic deficit' identified is that MPs are principally accountable to their political parties rather than the people. The author argues that the current party-list proportional representation system diminishes constituency linkages and encourages party discipline over representative accountability.
• To address the gap between MPs and the electorate, the author advocates for a mixed electoral system, as recommended by the Van Zyl Slabbert-chaired electoral task team. This system would combine the existing proportional representation party list with multi-member, constituency-based voting to improve local democratic linkages.
• The document proposes the implementation of a 'social charter' or 'candidates’ charter' that all prospective MPs must sign to be eligible for nomination. This charter would include mandatory requirements such as attending all parliamentary sessions, holding public meetings and constituency clinics, declaring assets and interests, and accounting for public expenses. Failure to adhere to the charter would trigger a 'constituency right of recall'.
• The author calls for a national discussion to redefine the desired qualities of an MP, moving away from criteria used in the 1994 election—such as loyalty to party leadership or roles in the liberation struggle—toward a focus on ethics, professionalism, diligence, and public service.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2006). Time to bring democracy back to Parliament. https://saiia.org.za/research/time-to-bring-democracy-back-to-parliament/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Time to bring democracy back to Parliament. 2006. https://saiia.org.za/research/time-to-bring-democracy-back-to-parliament/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Time to bring democracy back to Parliament |date=3 February 2006 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/time-to-bring-democracy-back-to-parliament/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2006time, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Time to bring democracy back to Parliament}}, publisher = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2006}, month = feb, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/time-to-bring-democracy-back-to-parliament/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }