Political party liaison committees as conflict resolution mechanisms - the South African experience
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Date
2015
Authors
Napier, Clive J.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Faculty of the Humanities, University of the Free State
Abstract
With the advent of inclusive multiparty elections and democracy in South Africa and many parts of
Africa and beyond in the 1990s, the need for cooperation between political parties and electoral
management bodies has become important in order to avoid conflict situations from flaring up and to
underpin legitimate and credible election outcomes. In South Africa structures such as the Party Liaison
Committee (PLC), have been introduced during the early 1990s as a measure to resolve issues that have
the potential for conflict. This article aims to describe the theoretical, legal and political environment
that impacted on the evolution of the South African political party liaison committee system. It refers to
the functions of the PLC and relates instances where the potential for conflict has been reduced during
recent election periods. To illustrate the successes achieved, examples are referred to. The article ends
with a reference to some of the strengths and weaknesses of the PLC and reaches a positive conclusion
as to the success and future of the PLC.
Description
Keywords
Party Liaison Committee (PLC), Electoral justice, Electoral conflict resolution, Electoral transparency, Political party co-operation
Citation
Napier, C. J. (2015). Political party liaison committees as conflict resolution mechanisms-the South African experience. Journal for Contemporary History, 40(2), 156-175.