Democracy digest: Abstaining on Ukraine by Mike Pothier
According to the government, South Africa’s abstention in the UN General Assembly’s vote to call for an end to the Russian invasion of Ukraine was motivated by principle. The Deputy-Minister of International Relations and Co-operation, Candith Mashego-Dlamini, told Parliament that “South Africa “stands by its principled position of peaceful resolution of conflict.” All parties to the conflict should be encouraged to use “quiet diplomacy” to resolve the conflict.