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CT going down to the wire
15/03/2006 08:53 - (SA)
Cape Town - Smaller political parties, including the African Christian Democratic Party, were meeting on Wednesday morning to cobble together a deal ahead of a council meeting which will elect the Cape Town mayor and executive committee.
"After this meeting we will definitely know. There will be some clarity. There is a lot of confusion that went around yesterday," said ACDP mayoral candidate Pauline Cupido of the last-ditch talks.
Cupido did not want to reveal which of the smaller parties were attending Wednesday's meeting.
"It is possible for a deal to emerge. We must take Cape Town in one direction or another," she said.
All eyes are on the city as weeks of negotiation between the Democratic Alliance, the African National Congress, the Independent Democrats and smaller parties failed to break the political impasse following the results of the municipal elections in which no party emerged with a clear majority in the 210-seat council.
Minor parties, such as the African Muslim Party, were being courted in an attempt by the two main protagonists - the DA and ANC -- to ensure a clear majority.
In the recent municipal elections, the DA achieved 42% of the vote, with the ANC second and the ID third.
The ID is seemingly holding the trump card and is perceived to be the 'king-makers' in the tussle between the ANC and DA.
If no deal is struck by 10:00, the start of the council meeting, mayoral candidates must be nominated. If only one is nominated, the presiding officer must declare that candidate elected.
If more than one candidate is nominated a vote must be taken by secret ballot, with the candidate achieving the most votes being declared the winner.
If no candidate receives a majority of votes, the candidate who receives the lowest number of votes must be eliminated and a further vote taken on the remaining candidates, until a victor emerges.
- SAPA
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