Monday, April 7, marks the cut-off-date for the Independent Electoral Office on decisions on objections and notification to objectors and parties.
By cut-off-date for submissions of objections last week, the IEC had received 40 objections to National Assembly and provincial legislature election candidates. President Jacob Zuma’s name was among those who had been objected against.
In terms of the Electoral Act, anyone, including the chief electoral officer, may object to the nomination of a candidate.
An objection can be made on three grounds: If a candidate does not qualify to stand in the election, if the prescribed acceptance of nomination is not signed by the candidate, and if no undertaking signed by the candidate that he/she is bound by the Electoral Code of Conduct is submitted.
The IEC would consider all objections and inform the objector and the party of its decision by 5pm on Monday. IEC Spokesperson, Kate Bapela on Wednesday said once the commission had made a decision appeals had to be submitted to the Electoral Court by April 10.
The final deadline for decisions by the court was April 15. “The chief electoral officer is required to give effect to decisions of the commission on objections or a decision of the Electoral Court by 22 April 2014,” she said.
– By
