{"id":136,"date":"2013-11-18T09:55:00","date_gmt":"2013-11-18T09:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ifas.org.za\/research\/2013\/11\/18\/south-africa-20th-anniversary-of-freedom-and-the-general-elections-of-2014\/"},"modified":"2017-11-28T20:40:16","modified_gmt":"2017-11-28T18:40:16","slug":"south-africa-20th-anniversary-of-freedom-and-the-general-elections-of-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ifas.org.za\/research\/events\/conferences\/south-africa-20th-anniversary-of-freedom-and-the-general-elections-of-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"South Africa: 20th Anniversary of Freedom and the General Elections of 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

Overview of the Economic and Political State
\nFriday 22 November 2013<\/h4>\n

9:00 – 13:30<\/strong>
\nIfri Conference Room, 27 rue de la Procession, <\/strong>75015 Paris<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Despite a very intricate context at the end of apartheid, South Africa was successful in its transition through the iconic figure of Nelson Mandela and on the basis of a liberal and progressive Constitution. Today, while the country is widely recognized as a stable democracy and economy, South Africa is still facing important challenges such as the persistence of strong inequalities, unemployment and, consequently, social tensions. In this regard, it is necessary to consider the existence of noticeable opposition among political parties and civil society.<\/p>\n

On the international scene, even if the country\u2019s influence must be seen in the light of its achievements in a very competitive context, the role of South Africa as a mediator in numerous African conflicts, the recent election of Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as Chairperson of the African Union Commission, or the affiliation to the BRICS group are all signs of South Africa\u2019s assertion as an emerging power.<\/p>\n

A few months before the general elections and after two decades of democracy and freedom, 2014 can be viewed as a turning point for South Africa. With the participation of specialists from the best universities and think tanks in South Africa and France, this conference will present an overview of the social, economic and political context of the country, and discuss its contemporary challenges.<\/p>\n

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Provisional Programme<\/h4>\n

9:00-9:30 Introduction<\/h3>\n