South Africa: Designing New Political Institutions

The Republic of South Africa (RSA) held its first fully democratic elections in April 1994. They were a highly visible signal that the RSA is really moving from the era of apartheid towards a democratic constitutional state. The process is an archetypal case of a negotiated transition of a regime, and as such it is of great interest to students of constitutional mechanisms.

The contributors to this book, leading South African political scientists, discuss the process, the difficulties and the achievements in the transformation of the RSA's political and legal institutions. They address various aspects of constitutional design and their interactions with social forces. They examine the new constitution, the roles of presid