The decision by Adv. Anton Alberts, chairperson of the FF Plus, to exchange his position as a Member of Parliament for a Member of the Gauteng Legislature (MPL) was taken strategically to broaden the FF Plus's power base in Gauteng and to have a seasoned politician in place to optimally oppose the ANC's slight majority in the Gauteng provincial government.
After the general elections, the ANC is in power in Gauteng due to a slight majority of a single seat; it has 37 seats as opposed to the oppositions' 36. Opportunities may arise where the ANC government will not have the majority in the Legislature and then the opposition and the FF Plus will be able to overturn the ANC's decisions and implement their own.
Thus, the party is of the opinion that someone with Adv. Alberts' expertise and experience of ten years as a Member of Parliament will be well suited to the situation as he can offer guidance not only to the FF Plus MPL's, but also to the opposition on the whole.
Adv. Alberts will also help the party to purposefully establish and build out its power base in Gauteng.
Yesterday, the FF Plus's Gauteng caucus appointed him as the caucus leader. Adv. Alberts was also the FF Plus's Premier Candidate for the recent general elections and he was, thus, first on the Gauteng candidates list.
He will remain the party's chairperson on national level and will also remain actively involved in national issues that have become synonymous with him; like the case of the Transnet pensioners. He will focus his attention specifically on tough Gauteng issues like education, health and the e-toll system.
As he undertook in the runup to the general elections, he will aim from his position in the opposition to create a constitution for the Gauteng province that protects minority rights in particular.
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