350 political parties and a number of independent candidates are registered with the Election Commission (IEC).
Significant numbers of these parties and independents are expected to participate in this year's national and local elections, and some may be using very similar logos and acronyms. There are concerns.
Experts say past election commentary suggests voters have confused party logos and acronyms in the past, casting votes for parties they had not intended to vote for.
The general election is approaching, and high-value ballots are expected.
Some have similar logos and acronyms. Professor Kediborn Fago, a governance expert at North West University, presents the historical electoral performance of political parties with similar logos.
Fago said, “You remember that back in 2005, there was a political party that was born in Matiere. The party grew and contested national votes. believed that part of the reason why it attracted more support than expected was because voters were confused, as the party name may have confused the colors, logo, and even the party name.Congress for African Independence , close to the African National Congress.”
The logo of the newly formed political party Economic Liberators Forum bears similarities to the Economic Freedom Fighters.
The African National Congress for Independence, which was formed last year, not only shares a name with the ANC but also uses some of the EFF's colors.
Launch of a new political party, the African National Congress for Independence:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQbxn6VRPri0
Professor Fago elaborates: “In the North West Province, the African Independent National Congress, which has a name close to or similar to the ANC, but also has more EFF tinges, could be an active spanner in this regard. ” Continuing to confuse voters during elections. If voters aren't careful, they can easily vote for a party they didn't intend to vote for. ”
SABC News tested a number of Mahikeng residents on their ability to distinguish between the Economic Freedom Fighters logo and the new party Economic Liberators Forum logo, and residents' reactions to the results confirmed the existing confusion.
