Maimane’s party calls for direct election of president and MPs by voters

Build One SA (BOSA) has launched two petitions to lobby support in their call for change of the electoral system, to allow direct elections for the public to choose the next leader of the party they voted for, including MPs.

Party spokesperson Roger Solomons said the party believed this move was a vital step towards strengthening democracy and ensuring people had a real say in who governs the country.

“BOSA is committed to meaningful and substantive electoral reform to change the current broken system. We strongly advocate for full electoral reform, encompassing a constituency-based system whereby we, the people, can directly choose our leaders instead of political parties imposing their politicians on us,” he said.

“South Africans deserve to choose the best of the best for our government: doctors, nurses, schoolteachers, activists, entrepreneurs, miners, factory workers, IT experts, academics, environmentalists, businesspeople and governance specialists — people who work hard, know how to get things done, and want to see SA thrive. And we can only do this through a new electoral system.”

South Africans vote for a political party they want to govern the country. The president is elected by the National Assembly, overseen by the chief justice. The president then appoints members of his executive. “This system means that ordinary citizens do not directly choose the country’s leader. Instead, the party leadership selects a candidate, who is then endorsed by parliament,” Solomons said.

“By system where citizens directly elect the president, we would ensure the leader of our country is directly accountable to the people, not just to party structures. A new electoral system that improves accountability, attracts expertise and talent, and enhances governance is urgently required if SA is to thrive and prosper.”

The Electoral Reform Consultation Panel (ERCP) has asked the party for written submissions on the reasons why the current electoral system should be changed by September 30. “BOSA will make detailed, written submissions arguing for (1) a constituency-based system that allows MPs to be directly elected — and held directly accountable — by citizens instead of political parties; and (2) for the direct election of the president of the republic in a presidential election.”

Solomons said this process had been under way for four years now, after the Constitutional Court's 2020 judgment which declared the Electoral Act unconstitutional, as it didn’t allow independent candidates to be elected as candidates for the national and provincial legislatures. 

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