Abstract
This discussion on the South African party system looks at the past, present and possible future of the party system in terms of a number of indicators, notably: voter participation, number of political parties, competition, ideological distance, characteristics of political parties, voter volatility, change and stability. In the past the nature of the party system was to a large extent predetermined by legislation as an external factor. The repeal of legislation that affected the party system will undoubtedly lead to changes, but it will take some time to determine the impact of all the new forces on the party system.
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