Politics
The municipal council consists of thirteen members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Seven councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in seven wards, while the remaining six are chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received. In the election of 18 May 2011 the African National Congress won a majority of seven seats on the council.
The following table shows the results of the 2011 election.
| Party | Votes | Vote % | Seats | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ward | List | Total | ||||
| African National Congress | 15,608 | 50.2 | 6 | 1 | 7 | |
| Democratic Alliance | 12,756 | 41.0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | |
| Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa | 1,331 | 4.3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Congress of the People | 843 | 2.7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| National People's Party | 378 | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Independent Congress | 121 | 0.4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| South African Progressive Civic Organisation | 71 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 31,108 | 100.0 | 7 | 6 | 13 | |
| Spoilt votes | 600 | |||||
The local council sends five representatives to the council of the Central Karoo District Municipality: three from the African National Congress and two from the Democratic Alliance.
Read more about this topic: Beaufort West Local Municipality
Famous quotes containing the word politics:
“All you can be sure about in a political-minded writer is that if his work should last you will have to skip the politics when you read it. Many of the so-called politically enlisted writers change their politics frequently.... Perhaps it can be respected as a form of the pursuit of happiness.”
—Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961)
“In politics if you want anything said, ask a man. If you want anything done, ask a woman.”
—Margaret Thatcher (b. 1925)
“The politics of the exile are fever,
revenge, daydream,
theater of the aging convalescent.
You wait in the wings and rehearse.
You wait and wait.”
—Marge Piercy (b. 1936)