The Congress of the People says it will introduce a Private Members Bill to the National Assembly in 2019.
The envisaged Electoral Laws Amendment Bill 2019 aims at changing the current Electoral Act to provide for independent candidates to stand for both national and provincial legislatures during the elections.
Currently, the Electoral Act provides for independent candidates to stand for elections only at local level.
COPE Leader Mosiuoa Lekota says the current Act in its form is not in line with the Constitution.
Lekota says the aim of the party in introducing the Electoral Laws Amendment Bill 2019 is to give effect to the provisions of the Constitution, especially Section 19.
“At the present moment, the Electoral Act is in default of the constitution because it prevents people, it deprives people that right which is the right that is enshrined in the constitution. It prevents them that right of standing as independents if they want to stand as independent candidates or if they want to stand for national legislatures. What we are seeking to do is to complete the whole electoral system.”
Lekota says the current Electoral Act gives more power to political parties to choose who should represent the party in both national and provincial legislatures as opposed to allow people to make such a choice.
“The current system is keeping the political power in the hands of the political party not in the hands of the people of the country.”
