| dc.description.abstract | As a competition for both popular support and political office, Election 2004 deepened
the dominant-party system in South Africa. In terms of support, the African
National Congress (ANC) did better than ever. Indeed, its leadership seemed more
concerned about internal left-wing politics than about rival parties. Conversely,
with the partial exception of the Democratic Alliance (DA), opposition parties did
worse, and appear stuck in a zero-sum competition amongst themselves. In terms
of office, ANC popularity meant greater national power and, for the first time,
control of all provinces. Further, Election 2004 revealed that the more the ANC cooperates with its alliance partners the better it does at the polls, and the more influence
the Congress Of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu)/South African Communist
Party (SACP) have over policy. For opposition parties this dynamic is reversed.
Those parties which co-operated with the ANC to get office lost popular support,
while those which eschewed office did better at the polls. In sum, while popularity
and office are mutually reinforcing for the alliance, they constitute a dilemma for
opposition parties. Finally, while there are signs that broader social change will
pose some class-related problems for the ANC, more profound racial obstacles await
opposition parties. | en_US |
