south africa: floor-crossing at the heart of electoral reform issue

In June the South African government passed a set of acts to allow local and municipal government councillors, as well as provincial and national members of parliament to change political parties without losing their seats. The acts have important short-term implications for coalition politics and the control of local and provincial governments in South Africa, and they address issues at the heart of the country's debate over electoral system reform, according to a report from the Electoral Institute of Southern Africa.