The South African Electoral Commission (IEC) has said that the dates set ahead of national and local elections on 29 May are final and that complaints from emerging and small parties about the dates and registration requirements have been addressed. He said it was rejected. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
TThe South African Electoral Commission (IEC) has said that the dates set ahead of national and local elections on 29 May are final and that complaints from emerging and small parties about the dates and registration requirements have been addressed. He said it was rejected.
The IEC announced the dates on Monday, and also announced a March 8 registration deadline for first-time independent candidates and new political parties not affiliated with parliament.
In a joint open letter to the commission, African Congress for Change, African Movement for Change, African People's Congress, Azania, Azania People's Organization (Azapo), Build One South Africa, Land Party, Umkhonto Wisizwe Party, Rise Mzansi , United Africa Transformation and United Democratic Movement expressed concerns about signature requirements and election dates.
They called for an emergency meeting within 48 hours to address concerns that “could deeply impact the integrity and inclusiveness of future elections.”
Issues also included the election date. Issues regarding signature requirements and the use of identification documents raised by the Personal Information Protection Act (Popiah), registration fee deadlines, candidate lists and voter education issues.
They said the March 8 deadline for submitting shortlists “does not allow for proper participation and engagement of all stakeholders” and expressed “concern” at the “shortened” deadline.
Parties called on the IEC to “reconsider and extend” the deadline “to facilitate a more inclusive and informed electoral process.”
These political parties also expressed concern about the difficulties faced by new political parties during the registration process, such as collecting signatures and ID numbers.
This was a “significant barrier to entry for emerging political groups” and not only interfered with the principles of a multiparty democratic system, but also disproportionately affected emerging and small parties.
They said this requirement may also violate Popia's terms.
“We call on the IEC to review these registration processes and ensure that they are inclusive, transparent and compliant with relevant laws,” they said.
In a press conference on Monday, the IEC leadership rejected the allegations, saying the parties were well aware of the requirements of the process and the election date had been declared.
The election commission said the date was also “thrown in stone”.
IEC Commissioner Nomsa Masuku said the signature-gathering portal had been open since January 26, giving the parties “considerable time to start the process.”
“Anyone preparing to challenge this process should know that once Election Day is declared, the train starts moving,” Musk said.
Not all parties outside parliament are unhappy with the announcement of the dates.
ActionSA national chairman Michael Beaumont welcomed the decision as it would exclude parties that had no chance of gaining enough support to win a seat in parliament.
Beaumont said it was “remarkable” that political parties could claim they were unaware of these requirements for contesting an election, but that they had been known for some time.
“The reality is that most of these political parties are not able to meet the signature threshold to contest elections because they exist on social media rather than on the ground in communities across South Africa,” he said. Ta.
“ActionSA welcomes the inevitable reduction in political parties and their exclusion from long ballot papers if they are unable to submit signatures equivalent to even the 15% of votes needed to win a seat.
“The task of rebuilding South Africa is important, but it is unlikely to be helped by a party that cannot meet even the most basic requirements to contest elections,” he said.
The decision also affects new political parties joining the South African Multiparty Charter, a pre-election coalition aiming to topple the ANC on May 29.
The Independent South African National Civic Organization (iSanco), the United Independence Movement and the Spectrum National Party, which were participating in a convention to form a coalition government, were busy collecting signatures this week.
They formed a coalition last year in collaboration with the Democratic Alliance, Action SA, Inkatha Freedom Party, African Christian Democratic Party and Freedom Front Plus.
However, failure to secure the necessary signatures and pay the deposit on time could result in your being forced out of the game.
iSanco president Zukile Ruyenge said they have started collecting signatures across the country and, despite the “unfair” registration process, they still intend to hold the contest in every state.
“Signing up signatures is very difficult, but we are busy signing petitions. This costs a lot of money. We have already spent a lot of money and resources on this, We do not. As a new party, we do not receive funding from the IEC or the government like parties that are already in parliament, so this is an additional barrier to electoral participation,” Luenge said. said.
The IEC has set a deadline of March 8 for all political parties and independent candidates intending to contest the polls to secure signatures and meet all registration requirements.
The IEC will then review the nominations and issue non-compliance notices on March 18 to those who do not meet the requirements. Affected parties have until March 20 to correct non-compliance.
A provisional list of candidates will be published for public viewing and potential objections by interested parties on March 26th and March 27th, with a final decision on objections expected to be taken on March 28th. .
However, UIM is unfazed by the registration process, which chairman Neil de Beer welcomed this week.
“We are positive about this process because it will help us reach voters on the ground and help promote our campaign,” De Beer said.