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:
“...to many a mother’s heart has come the disappointment of a loss of power, a limitation of influence when early manhood takes the boy from the home, or when even before that time, in school, or where he touches the great world and begins to be bewildered with its controversies, trade and economics and politics make their imprint even while his lips are dewy with his mother’s kiss.”
—J. Ellen Foster (1840–1910)
“Of course, in the reality of history, the Machiavellian view which glorifies the principle of violence has been able to dominate. Not the compromising conciliatory politics of humaneness, not the Erasmian, but rather the politics of vested power which firmly exploits every opportunity, politics in the sense of the “Principe,” has determined the development of European history ever since.”
—Stefan Zweig (18811942)
“Finance is a gun. Politics is knowing when to pull the trigger.”
—Mario Puzo, U.S. author, screenwriter, and Francis Ford Coppola, U.S. director, screenwriter. Michael Corleone (Al Pacino)