The FW de Klerk Foundation Welcomes Concourt Dismissal of MKP Application for Urgent Interdict Encouraged by GNU Taking Shape
13 June 2024
The FW de Klerk Foundation welcomes the Constitutional Court’s dismissal of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party's (“MKP”) urgent application for an interdict to prevent Parliament’s first sitting tomorrow.
“The Constitution demands that Parliament must have its first sitting within two weeks of the IEC announcing the election results (on Sunday, 2 June 2024). The Chief Justice determined this sitting will take place tomorrow, Friday, 14 June 2024. No political party should be allowed to prevent these constitutional imperatives from being carried out,” said Daniela Ellerbeck, Constitutional Programmes Manager at the FW de Klerk Foundation. “Parliament governs on our behalf as citizens. We and our democracy should not be held ransom by political parties. It is imperative that the sitting continues,” Ellerbeck states.
“Parliament needs to elect a President tomorrow. South Africa’s government and people should not be held hostage by any amount of political intimidation,” concurs Christo van der Rheede, Executive Director of the Foundation. “The time has come for political parties, across the spectrum, to put South Africa first.”
The FW de Klerk Foundation welcomes the news that a Government of National Unity is taking shape. It is encouraged that the ANC has held strong on the point that the parties it goes into coalition with must respect the Constitution and its founding values. The Foundation has continuously called for the new government to consist of political parties loyal to the Constitution. (I.e. A Government of Constitutional Unity.)