Political Analyst Professor Susan Booysen has described the move by the Electoral Commission of South Africa to amend the election timetable, allowing parties to register candidates ahead of the Local Government Elections next month as a critical lifeline for the African National Congress.
The ruling party missed the August deadline.
The IEC made the announcement in Johannesburg on Monday after the Constitutional Court rejected its bid to postpone elections to February next year.
While the move has raised questions among some political parties around the integrity of the elections, Professor Booysen has called into question the Constitutional Court’s ruling.
“It is most definitely the biggest lifeline the ANC has received in a very long time because, without it, the ANC stands a chance of losing its majority in quite a few municipalities, in other cases would have heard they negotiate their way into power through new coalitions. It might not have lost across the board, but in quite a number of significant places. Non-nomination of candidates or PR candidates has really left a dent in the ANC support.”
Local Government Elections registration weekend scheduled for September 18 and 19: IEC
The IEC says a registration weekend for the Local Government Elections is scheduled for September 18 and 19.
Eligible citizens will be able to register or update their details ahead of the Local Government Elections.
Voting stations will open from 8am until 5pm to allow for registration.
The date of the election will then be announced on September 20. The IEC says it has communicated its preference of November 1 to government.
Video: The Independent Electoral Commission announces the LGE 2021 electoral programme
The Democratic Alliance says it will take legal action against the Electoral Commission of South Africa’s decision to reopen the candidate registration process for political parties ahead of the Local Government Elections.
The IEC on Monday briefed the media in Johannesburg on candidate nominations after the Constitutional Court dismissed its application to have the municipal elections postponed until next year.
Last month, the ANC missed the deadline to register some of its candidates. The party then approached the Electoral Court asking for an extension of the deadline but later withdrew that application.
DA Federal Council Chairperson Helen Zille says they do not believe the elections are free and fair.
“The latest developments actually underscore that my suspicions and my speculations were right from the start. They were entirely correct. The ANC withdrew its appeal to the Electoral Court because they had another plan. We certainly don’t believe that the elections are free and fair if there’s one rule for every other party but the ANC and if the IEC or anybody else bends the rules to fit the ANC’s circumstances, that is not our definition of free and fair.”
DA, PAC react to IEC announcement on Local Government Elections timetable:
