The Constitutional Court will on Monday deliver judgment on whether the Electoral Commission of South Africa’s reopening of the candidate nomination process was lawful.

Following the apex court’s order that Local Government Elections take place by November 1 this year, the IEC reopened the process.

It did this on the basis that the Constitutional Court order of September 3 authorised it to amend the election timetable in accordance with a new proclaimed date.

The IEC contends that allowing voters to register goes hand in hand with them being allowed to vote for candidates of their choice.

The Democratic Alliance has taken issue with the IEC’s decision saying it privileges some parties such as the African National Congress that were unable to get in all their candidates to the IEC by the August 23 deadline.

Political parties react to IEC’s election timetable:

Constitutional judgment in the IEC, DA matter delayed

The official opposition had made an application against the IEC’s re-opening of the submission of the candidates’ list for the Local Government Elections.
It says the decision was meant to help the ANC after it failed to register and submit lists of names of its would-be councillors in over 90 municipalities.

Speaking during the voter registration campaign in Soweto, ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa says they will abide by the court’s decision.

“The legal arguments we put forward are good and sound and it is up to the Constitutional Court to issue their own judgment and we will respect whatever judgment the ConCourt comes up with. They are the apex court in our country and which all of us signed on our contract with each other that what the Constitutional Court concludes should be respected and accepted. That is what we’re going to do.”