Democracy Seminar Series & Book Launch

EISA frequently hosts an open democracy seminar. A topic is presented and then opened to the floor. EISA invites visitors to participate in these seminars.

Wednesday 12 September 2007, 10h00 - 13h00 at EISA House, 14 Park Road, Richmond, Johannesburg

Sierra Leone General Elections

Speaker: James Gadin, Programme Officer, Elections & Political Processes, EISA

With the first round of Parliamentary & Presidential elections in Sierra Leone on the 11th August 2007 returning a result in favour of the opposition All Peoples Congress (APC), the country has witnessed scenes of politically motivated violence and unrest. With the second round of elections in the troubled West African democracy taking place on 8th September 2007, EISA's James Gadin examines the context in which these elections have taken place, analyses the results of the first round, and suggest measures that could be put in place to curb the present political violence and establish lasting peace and stability in Sierra Leone.

Book Launch: The Impact of Floor Crossing on Party Systems & Representative Democracy

Speaker: Victor Shale, Programme Officer, Governance Unit, EISA

On 3 September 2007, South Africa once again entered a floor-crossing period in Parliament, Provincial and local legislatures. This highly controversial practice has been challenged by opposition parties and some CSOs as undermining the strength and stability of South Africa's democracy, and there have been repeated calls for the legislation permitting this practice to be scrapped. The issue of floor-crossing in South Africa has elicited a great deal of debate in the media and public domain, and as the practice has tended to enrich the dominant ruling party at the expense of smaller minority groups in opposition, floor crossing continues to elicit strong emotional responses throughout South Africa.

EISA, in collaboration with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, is proud to launch its latest publication, titled The Impact of Floor Crossing on Party Systems & Representative Democracy, edited by Khabele Matlosa & Victor Shale. This publication examines the floor-crossing issue in detail and outlines the views of political parties such as the African National Congress, Democratic Alliance, Inkatha Freedom Party, African Christian Democratic Party, the Independent Democrats and others on this controversial issue.