What Could Make or Break the Government of National Unity (GNU): Lessons Learnt from a Comparative Study of United Kingdom (UK), Italy, Malaysia, Zimbabwe, Kenya and South Africa

Abstract

The prevalence of the coalition governments or Governments of National Unity (GNUs) in many countries after the elections is testimony to electoral maturity and some scholars believe that it is a sign that the electorate and communities in general are tired of opposition politics and would rather prefer political parties that can work together for the benefit of their communities instead of political bickering. Whilst many of the European countries such as United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands have mastered the art of coalition governments, experience in coalition does not guarantee success even though it does help in supporting the coalition. Africa as a continent is yet to see a very successful and hassle-free coalition maybe it is the nature of coalition governments that they will never be without challenges. There are African countries that have relatively experienced stable coalitions such as Lesotho but what is apparent is that when coalitions are between the bigger and smaller parties, they tend to be more stable than coalitions of bigger parties. South African reformed Government of National Unity (GNU) is still at its infancy and is fragile which then necessitates that lessons from other forms of coalition governments in other countries should be analyzed so that South Africa can learn from them and not repeat the same mistakes. It is for this reason that a comparative analysis with the other countries that have experienced coalition governments or Governments of National Unity (GNUs) was done. The research findings are such that challenges relating to coalition governments or GNUs are common across all countries studied. This spans from inability to plan for a coalition before the elections, failure to consult the electorate about the negotiations, the absence of a coalition framework, failure to find common ground on the programme of action, contestations about positions, temptations to interfere with the public service, etc. To obviate these challenges, it is important for political parties to have a Framework for Coalitions that will help guide coalitions.