DEMOCRACY
STEVEN FRIEDMAN: Presidential primaries would give voters more say
There is something very strange about a full-blooded presidential election campaign in which the candidates battle for the support of a public that cannot vote. For the first time since 1994, the contest for the ANC presidency is happening in public. Candidates do all the things we expect in elections. They address meetings, woo interest groups, issue statements and give interviews. One, Zweli Mkhize, has a campaign video circulating on social media. Reporters and commentators pronounce on the strength and weaknesses of the contenders, and polling firms conduct surveys of candidates’ support. We seem to be in the midst of one of those contests for the people’s support that are the essence of democracy. In reality, the spectacle is weird — this may be the only election on earth in which the candidates are campaigning for the support of people who cannot vote.The ANC president is elected not by the 26-million plus South Africans who are registered to vote but by just over 5,000 people...
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