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The ambitions of DA Federal Council President Helen Zille to have an optional virtual conference could fade as some party leaders prepare to oppose the plan when it is presented to the party’s federal executive.
Zille and interim DA leader John Steenhuisen have begun consulting technology experts about the viability of the idea, but some party leaders have told News24 that the virtual congress would give Steenhuisen, who is fighting to be the leader, from DA, an unfair advantage.
Speaking to News24, Zille said they are considering having decentralized places where 50 people can get together and participate in smaller groups. This is due to restrictions on large meetings as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Technology offers many options. There are also processes that allow a queuing system to speak, which can be updated once a person has spoken. We are working slowly to achieve this. We have our first online meeting of more than 300 delegates on 29 May, so it will be crucial to see what initial problems emerge, “he said.
However, three federal executive leaders, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told News24 that they would not support the idea. The policy conference is expected to take place in September, while the elective conference will take place in October.
A leader said a virtual conference would put Steenhuisen’s contenders at a disadvantage.
The leader added that a virtual conference would leave elections vulnerable to manipulation.
“There are many gaps in this proposal. A choice of this magnitude cannot afford to be a pilot project. Given the one-year disaster we had in 2019, we cannot risk anything that might raise questions about legality and legitimacy.” said the leader.
News24 understands that former DA youth leader Mbali Ntuli and Gauteng leader John Moodey are expected to resume their campaign to be DA leaders in the coming weeks. The two suspended their campaign activities as a result of Covid-19.
A provincial leader told News24 that a virtual elective conference would exclude many delegates.
READ: DA will do everything possible to ensure that the party leadership conference occurs this year – Steenhuisen
“For the first time, you will have a number of people from the branches and you want to give them the same share. There is also the challenge of resolutions, which must be deliberated, adopted or rejected. I cannot see a deliberation of more than 3,000 people passing in a virtual system. Logistically, it is not practical. You will encounter all kinds of technical problems, “said the provincial leader.
The provincial leader added that he did not see DA structures agree with the proposal, adding that he would raise his concern when it was finally brought to the federal executive next month.
Another party leader, who sits on both the federal council and the federal executive, said preparations for an elective conference had begun when President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national state of disaster.
“We were still busy with the annual general meeting and had to stop. There are pending processes that the congress must lead. If the proposal is that we use the same data from the last congress, we will go against our constitution.” I would not support that. The party is working. John has done well as an interim leader. I don’t think we should rush, “added the party leader.
Zille, however, said the processes should be concluded.
She admitted that the party may have challenges during debates on resolutions.
“If necessary, we can separate an elective congress from a deliberative congress, as some other parties around the world do,” he said.
In the United States, the Democratic Party is also preparing for its first virtual presidential nomination convention in August.
ALSO READ: Coronavirus: DA postpones political conference, calls special meeting of high-ranking leaders
A party member said the only way a virtual conference would work would be if the party shortened the congress agenda, only by discussing key resolutions.
“The most important part of an elective conference is voting. At the elective congress, you look at the constitutional amendments. The main constitutional ones can be deferred to Fedex. The elective congress is so that those who are contesting want it to happen sooner. Local elections .
“Any emerging leader has much stronger internal legitimacy than an interim elected by a smaller structure. We just need to get this out of the way to focus on the elections,” said the senior party member.
While speaking with Steenhuisen on Tuesday, DA’s parliamentary chief of parliament, Natasha Mazzone, said a virtual conference would also serve as a cost-cutting measure, adding that it would be convenient for the party and its delegates.
Explaining the logistics, Zille said his team of technology experts would narrow down online voting options to two different platforms, which accommodate the unique transferable voting system that the DA uses.
“It also, of course, has to guarantee voting secrecy. It works in codes that are randomly distributed to registered voters for the election, safely, and then, the moment a code is used for secret voting. , the code gets canceled and no one can use it again. Then the results are counted, according to the single transferable voting system. It’s actually reasonably simple, “he said.
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