From Racial Politics to Interest Politics:The Evolution of Opposition Parties'Participation in Electoral Politics in South Africa
South Africa's opposition parties are mainly transformed from political organizations during the apartheid period,and are deeply imprinted with racial identity.After the birth of new South Africa,black people were liberated politically,but economically the white group still dominated,creating a mismatch between the economic base and the superstructure.In this context,on the one hand,racial politics is incompatible with South Africa's political ideals,and the racial boundaries between black and white are constantly being broken and diluted;on the other hand,the interest pattern based on racial division has not been fundamentally changed,and racial interests and economic interests are still in a state of isomorphism.In the exclusive competition of electoral politics,if the opposition party wants to consolidate its existing voter base,it has to carry out dual construction in the two directions of racial politics and interest politics.With the reorganization and differentiation of social classes and the continued weakening of the ANC-led party system,the core issues of party political games continue to focus on economic system reform and public policy.The distinction between black and white gradually turns to the struggle between left and right,and racial politics gradually gives way to interest politics.Sorting out the origins and evolution of the opposition parties,and reviewing the practical difficulties of the opposition parties participating in electoral politics,it can be clearly seen that in order to get rid of the historical constraints of racial politics and build a healthy and orderly party political ecology in South Africa,both the ruling party and the opposition parties must face up to the deep-seated issues related to economic system reform and the choice of independent development path.