Dissidents in the African National Congress, which has run South Africa since the end of apartheid, laid out a platform Saturday for their breakaway party ahead of next year's election. Top among their priorities was a call for direct elections for president, instead of having parliament choose the nation's leader.
"We affirm without equivocation that the president of the country must be directly elected by the people," read the declaration issued after a convention that gathered thousands of dissidents to pave the way for forming a new political party. It also called for "social cohesion," "supremacy of the constitution" and respect for basic rights, including the freedom to choose a political party.
"We affirm to defend freedom of association and freedom of speech and the right to belong to and vote for a party of our choice," said the statement read out by Mbhazima Shilowa, former premier of South Africa's richest province Gauteng. "Political tolerance must be the cornerstone of how we behave. We believe in open and transparent dialogue," it said.
"All citizens are equal before the law in our society. No citizen can be above the law, no matter his circumstances," it added. The declaration was the first indication of the goals of the nascent party set to be launched on December 16, ahead of elections next year. "We intend to win the next election," Shilowa said, adding that a name would be chosen for the party on Sunday.
The dissident movement marks a dramatic shake-up in South Africa's politics, which has been dominated by the ANC, which led the struggle against apartheid and then brought Nelson Mandela to the country's presidency.
Efforts to form a breakaway emerged after the ruling party forced Thabo Mbeki to resign the presidency in September, after a long-running power struggle with ANC leader Jacob Zuma. Zuma seized control of the ANC last December, pushing Mbeki out of the party's top spot. Earlier this year he had vowed that the ANC would "rule until Jesus comes back."
The ANC won more than two thirds of the votes in the last election and controls a strong majority in parliament. The main opposition Democratic Alliance, perceived as a party for whites, poses little serious threat. The dissident movement could emerge as a more credible challenger. Few analysts expect the new party would unseat the ANC.
They could, however, win enough seats to strip the ANC of its super-majority in parliament, forcing the party to negotiate at least on major issues. "This convention could be a turning point in our democracy," Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille told the crowd.
The dissident movement has raised tensions across the country. Zuma supporters have disrupted rallies by Lekota's supporters, chanting "kill Shilowa, kill Lekota." Police have tightened security around the convention bureau, while warning that they would take action against political messages that cross into hate speech.
Zuma has planned his own rally this weekend in Soweto. The dissidents had planned to issue the final statement from their convention on Sunday, but Shilowa said on Saturday evening that they would wrap up their talks later in the night.