Opposition parties are receiving legal advice as they aim to mount a legal challenge to President Cyril Ramaphosa's decision to sign the Electoral Amendment Bill. The president signed the bill on Tuesday.
Immediately after the president signed the bill into law, opposition parties met to discuss how to proceed. They have petitioned the president not to sign the bill, arguing that it is unconstitutional.
However, the presidential office says the president is under no legal obligation to respond to additional petitions when considering the bill. He added that in processing the bill, the President assessed all issues raised by political parties in Parliament and took note of the fairness and openness of the process.
One of the problems with the new law is the president's power to determine the threshold for donations that should not be declared.
The new law also changes the way the Multiparty Democracy Fund is disbursed, which opposition parties say favors the ANC.
“The president appears to have signed the bill, and both parties have agreed to receive legal advice on how to oppose the bill, this law, or use the court system to challenge the passage of this bill. ” says Brett Herron of the GOOD Party.
“Previously, the distribution of this fund was based on 90% proportionality and 10% equality, but the Constitution determines proportional distribution on an equity basis. Now, this is not from a constitutional point of view, but because we are concerned. We and the other opposition parties are in a position to do so because this distribution means that the ANC will receive about 84-85% of the total funding, which does not strengthen multiparty democracy. We will see what happens. We can go to the Constitutional Court,” said Dr. Peter Grunewald, leader of FF Plus.
“Even though 10 opposition parties have petitioned the president to consider the constitution, they don't even have the decency to respond to our petitions, and we see things like this in the media. We are deeply and completely disappointed that this bill was signed into law. We are now seeking legal advice on how to proceed with great urgency. ” said IFP Director Narend Singh.
COSATU says the minimum standards, which do not require donations to be made public, should be amended so that all donations are made available to the public.
Labor federations say this is crucial in fighting corruption.