DA publishes Municipal Threshold Bill for public comment

By Staff Reporter

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has issued the Local Government: Municipal Structures Second Amendment Bill, 2025, for public comment.

This is part of the party’s ongoing efforts to stabilise coalition governments nationwide.

The bill aims to enhance stability in local government coalitions by introducing an electoral threshold for political parties seeking seats on municipal councils.

DA Chief Whip in Parliament, George Michalakis, said under the current electoral rules, numerous smaller parties, often comprising only one member, can become pivotal in coalition formations despite receiving a minimal share of municipal votes.

“This phenomenon has frequently destabilized entire governments, leading to compromised service delivery for the electorate,” said Michalakis.

“Given the prevalence of coalition governments in South African politics, it is imperative that we establish clear regulations to safeguard service delivery for ordinary citizens against political maneuvering.”

Michalakis said the DA’s proposed Bill seeks to insert an electoral threshold into the calculation and allocation of seats in local councils so that parties must first obtain enough valid votes to achieve at least one seat on the municipal council before they are entitled to be considered for additional seats under the highest remainder calculation.

“These amendments will ensure that king maker parties are no longer able to strike deals with larger parties for lucrative positions in the executive in exchange for propping-up unstable coalition governments.  Instead, parties will have to engage in good faith and form workable coalitions, without relying on one man shows,” said Michalakis.

“In addition, the Bill also seeks to extend the period within which an executive mayor, speaker and whip should be elected in council, providing that such elections must take place within 30 days after the council’s election, instead of the current 14 days. This will allow more time for parties intending to form coalition governments