DEMOCRATIC PROCESS
AUBREY MATSHIQI: The disasters of dominant-party capture from within
When single-party dominance coincides with internal instability, the rot infects both the state and society
Single-party dominance and the uncompetitive electoral politics and political system that produce it are a problem because the dominant party becomes desensitised to the needs of the citizenry. However, the damage may extend to democratic institutions, resulting in institutional uncertainty. When the single-party dominance coincides with the internal instability of the dominant party, as is the case with the ANC, the rot infects both the state and society in a manner that compromises national security and sovereignty. In the period prior to a democratic breakthrough, the consolidation of dominant interests and creation of new opportunities for these interests becomes an imperative for forces inside and outside the liberation movement that is on its way to becoming the dominant party after the inaugural democratic elections. In this regard, it is important to capture the political elites before and after the democratic breakthrough. The first thing that must be achieved is to make su...
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