On a continent where legitimate elections are rare, the 2014 general elections demonstrated South Africa’s continued commitment to regular, free and fair elections. The quality of an election depends on impartial and efficient electoral procedures. Administrative and logistical failures, as well as attempts to fraudulently influence the results, undermine the event and the final outcome. Electoral integrity also presupposes a degree of political competition and a level playing field during the campaign period. Surveys show that it is during this time that many voters make up their minds about which party to support. This policy brief examines those features of the electoral process that influence the ability of South Africa’s political parties to contest elections, and voters to make informed choices. It also makes recommendations that can improve electoral integrity and public confidence.

Report published by the Institute for Security Studies

About the author:

Collette Schulz-Herzenberg specialises in elections and voter behaviour. She holds a doctorate in politics and a master’s degree in democratic governance from the University of Cape Town (UCT), and an honours degree in politics from London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies. She co-edited a volume on the 2014 South African elections, is a research associate and lecturer at Stellenbosch University and was awarded a UCT postdoctoral research fellowship to examine South African voter behaviour. She previously worked as a senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies and the Institute for Democracy in South Africa.

This policy brief was made possible with support from the government of Finland. The ISS is grateful for support from the members of the ISS Partnership Forum: the governments of Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the USA.