The election will be held on May 29th. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
T2024 voter list closes, the South African Electoral Commission (IEC) has updated the deadline calendar for candidates and voters following President Cyril Ramaphosa's recent announcement that elections will be held on 29 May. Announced.
The election authority said in a statement on Monday that there are legal implications for declaring an election date, the first significant effect being that the voter rolls are closed, and the second important effect being that the election calendar is published in newspapers. He said that it would be published. official gazette.
“This means that you will no longer be able to register to vote, either at local offices or online. Voter verification and other verifications are currently in progress to ensure that the provisions of the law regarding voting eligibility are complied with. “This is ongoing,” the IEC said.
The election schedule, published on Saturday February 24th after consultation with the National Political Liaison Committee, outlines deadlines, including performance dates for election participants and voters.
The commission said the provisional voter list will be released for inspection on Monday and an electronic version will be made available at all IEC offices.
“Anyone who wishes to object to the addition or removal of a voter from the electoral register must do so by March 4, 2024. Objection received by March 4, 2024 It will be considered, investigated and decided by the committee by March 11, 2019.''
Election officials plan to certify the voter list on March 12 after considering the objections. An electronic copy of the certified voter list will be provided to the contestants and a printed version will be prepared for use at the polling station on election day.
The IEC said that in addition to commemorating the 30th anniversary of electoral democracy, this election will introduce new experiences for voters, including a third round of voting and the participation of independent candidates.
“For the purpose of nominating candidates, the Commission promotes the use of an online nomination platform. It provides users with a compliance dashboard, which is convenient and facilitates compliance with legal requirements. ” says the company.
All independent candidates and political parties planning to participate in the election must submit their nomination requirements by 5pm on March 8th.
“Our electoral system recognizes that the public knowing who the nominee is is an issue of great national importance. The publication of a tentative list of candidates is based on informed “The provisional list of candidates will therefore be released for inspection on March 26 and 27,” the commission said.
Interested parties have until March 27 to lodge objections to the nominations. The IEC is expected to make a decision on these challenges on March 28th.
“Individuals, political parties and organizations who are not satisfied with the Commission's decision may apply to the Electoral Tribunal to challenge the objection decision,” the IEC said.
Appeals must be filed by April 2nd, and the court will issue a decision by April 9th.
“As all compliance issues and objections regarding the candidates have been resolved, the commission will publish the final list of candidates on April 10th and certified candidates will be issued with certificates of candidacy on April 12th. “Once the candidate nomination process is completed, the ballot printing project will begin,” the IEC said.
The official list of 23,292 polling stations will be available for viewing from April 12th. This includes polling place addresses and closing times for 33 mobile polling places.
The electoral system provides exemptions for voters with special circumstances. People who are infirm or confined and unable to go to the polls must apply for a special home voting visit.
Voters who are not in their precinct on May 29 will still need to apply for a special ballot to vote before Election Day. Both home visits and special voting at polling stations will take place on May 27th and 28th. Applications for special voting will close on May 3rd.
Voters who intend to vote abroad and are registered in a particular country segment of the electoral register do not need to notify that they will vote in that country. The law presupposes voting at registered diplomatic missions abroad.
Persons who are registered elsewhere, including locally registered voters who plan to vote at a particular overseas embassy, must notify the elections official of their intention to vote there. Overseas voting notifications can be submitted on the commission's website from February 26th to April 22nd.
A special vote at the diplomatic missions abroad will be held on May 17 or 18, 2024. The exact date is determined by taking into account the host country's prevailing religious and cultural practices.
As a general rule, voters must vote where they are registered, but if they intend to go to another precinct on election day, they must indicate their absence from the precinct and their preferred polling place on the IEC. Must be notified. to vote.
A notification portal will be launched soon for this purpose. The notification in this regard will end on May 17th.
