The Constitutional Court has upheld the decision of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to re-open the candidate nomination process.
In a judgment handed down on Monday the apex court dismissed the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) application to have the IEC’s decision declared unlawful.
The DA was aggrieved after the IEC reopened the process after a Constitutional Court order that the elections must take place by November 2021 and that a voter registration weekend is held.
The party believes the decision privileged parties such as the African National Congress (ANC) and United Democratic Movement (UDM) that were unable to put in its candidates before the deadline closed on August 23, 2021.
(2/2) The Democratic Alliance’s application is dismissed. (CCT 245/21 Democratic Alliance v Electoral Commission of South Africa v Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and Others) pic.twitter.com/ILqKm3jJ1y
— Constitutional Court (@ConCourtSA) September 20, 2021
(1/2) Judgment: The Constitutional Court held that the decision of the Electoral Commission to re-open the candidate nomination process for the 2021 municipal elections, in terms of this Court’s order issued on 3 September 2021, is not unconstitutional, unlawful and invalid.
— Constitutional Court (@ConCourtSA) September 20, 2021
Election date gazetted
The Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has gazetted the election date for November 1.
This means that the voter roll will be sealed at midnight and political parties have until Tuesday to submit their candidate lists to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).
According to the IEC, over 600 000 people registered to vote this past weekend whilst over 39 000 people used the online registration voters system which will close at midnight on Monday night.
Dlamini-Zuma says, “I am hoping for much greater youth participation because I think voting is their right which they need to exercise and equality is also their responsibility. If you don’t vote, say for argument’s sake, nobody pitches up to vote, what happens to our democracy? They shouldn’t really feel that it is ignored if they don’t vote because it won’t be there. If they vote, their voice will count and it will determine who gets in and who doesn’t.”
November 1 gazetted as the election date
