Southern Africa
Democracy gains ground in Southern African public opinion 

The Southern African Democracy Barometer is a regular, nationally representative survey of citizens' attitudes toward, and participation in democratic governance and the economy, and is currently conducted in seven states across Southern Africa (Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe). 

The South African ruling party, ANC, has welcomed the Opinion poll Research results released by Idasa, saying that "they also indicate positively on the key areas of social transformation within South Africa."

However, the reports notes a decrease in the ratings of all South Africa's elected institutions. Generally, this is interpreted as a voters fatigue with they slow rate of improvements, which can be seen in light of the great expectations held by the majority electorate when South Africans overcame the white minority rule. It also indicates that election participation in the upcoming municipal elections will be lower than in earlier elections.

The ANC, however, chooses to emphasize on the positive aspects of this decreases ratings for the elected institutions. "This is not an indication of a lack of confidence in our democratic system of government, rather a reflection of the maturity of our democracy," the party's spokesperson states. "The report indicates that South Africa has moved 'from the politics of transition' to normal politics where Presidents and the government they run, do not automatically command widespread support across the electorate."

- All these trends indicate that we are on course and are consistent with our own understanding of the situation in Southern Africa. The ANC has in this regard pioneered initiatives that deal with the challenges facing the entire region, the party claims.

The research by Idasa also shows that the public opinion in Southern Africa is deeply preoccupied with the topics of peace, stability and democracy in the entire region. The ANC claims that this "confirms the resolutions of the seminar held by the five former liberation movements in Southern Africa that the region needs peace, stability, democracy and integrated economic development." The mentioned seminar was attended to by ruling parties that had previously been liberation movements, and also included the ANC of South Africa and Mugabe's Zanu-PF from Zimbabwe.

Sources: African National Congress (ANC) and Idasa

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