The seven political groupings that will attend the meeting are the Democratic Alliance (DA, the country’s main opposition party), the Inkatha Freedom Party, the Freedom Front Plus, ActionSA, the National Freedom Party, the United Independent Movement, and the National Spectrum Party.
According to a statement issued by the DA, the opposition parties will seek a viable way forward to achieve the 50% + one majority at the ballot box needed “to form a government without the ANC.
The leaders of these seven organizations, the text reveals, have held a series of exploratory meetings over the past two months to lay the groundwork for a National Convention, where opposition party leaders can negotiate a pre-election pact, the DA adds.
Important items on the planned agenda include reaching consensus on the values and principles that will guide an eventual coalition government, the formulation of a joint minimum action program, the rules of participation during the next electoral campaign, and a formula for forming a Cabinet in power.
The 2024 elections, the DA asserts in the document, “present an unprecedented opportunity for the people of South Africa to elect a new government that can lead the country out of the multiple crises it faces.”
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