Voter power is now stronger than ever before

25 April 2016 - 02:14 By The Times Editorial

The beauty of the upcoming local elections is that, in some cities, and perhaps in a handful of smaller towns too, they will be too close to call.For the first time, voters disappointed by the performance of the party in power in a particular municipality are now beginning to sense that supporting a different party need not simply be a protest vote.The election is still more than three months away but speculation of political coalitions is starting to gather pace. Who would have thought that the breakaway movement of ousted Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi might suddenly find itself playing the kingmaker's role in the fiercely contested Nelson Mandela Bay metro, where polls suggest that the ruling ANC is only narrowly ahead of a resurgent DA - 43% to 37%?The United Front, which has not been formally launched, draws support from the National Union of Metalworkers of SA, which was expelled from Cosatu late last year, and could garner double-digit support in Port Elizabeth, some polls suggest.Numsa also has significant pockets of support in closely contested Gauteng metros - particularly in Ekurhuleni, on the East Rand - where the EFF is expected to put in a strong showing. In a three-way contest between the ANC, EFF and DA, the votes of the metalworkers could come into play and perhaps be decisive.Even more tantalising is the prospect of coalitions, or even loose alliances around particular issues, between some of the three major parties. Ideologically, the DA and EFF are poles apart, but could they conceivably join forces to upset the ANC?The simple answer is that no one knows just yet. But, at the end of the day, the big winners from closely contested elections are going to be the voters.Service delivery can only improve when, for the first time in many areas, politicians and officials have to up their game to win the trust of the electorate...

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