Twenty-nine parties to contest elections
A total number of 29 parties will contest the national elections on May 7, according to the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC).
IEC announced the number of parties to contest the elections, after the March 24 deadline for parties to submit all outstanding documentation and pay election deposits.
Initially, a total number of 33 political parties have indicated their intention to contest the election of the National Assembly, but four of them, however, were still to fully comply with prescribed deposits.
Despite the window of opportunity the parties had to submit any outstanding requirement, these four parties had failed to rectify their non-compliance in respect of the required election deposit for the national election by the cut-off date.
They were then removed from the National Ballot Paper for the May 7 elections.
The parties that were removed are: African Unite Party, Iqela Lentsango – Dagga Party, Lekgotla for Democracy Advancement and South African Progressive Civil Organisation.
A total of 31 parties were issued with notices from the Electoral Commission before the cut-off date, indicating non-compliance of the requirements to submit candidate lists and pay deposits.
These notices applied to documentation in respect of approximately 300 candidates.
By March 24, most parties had responded and submitted outstanding documentation, which electoral officials processed in preparation for the publication of the lists of candidates for each party (national, regional and provincial) for public inspection from March 28.
An abbreviated list of candidates will be published on the IEC website at www.elections.org.za, but for security reasons will not include supporting documentation or ID numbers.
The comprehensive list was open to objection until April 1.
The Commission will then rule on the objections by Monday, April 7.
Any appeals to the rulings should be submitted to the Electoral Court by April 10.
“The final deadline for decisions of the Electoral Court is April 15, following which the final list of candidates contesting the elections will be published on April 22 and certificates issued to candidates by April 24,” concludes Bapela.
Bapela says even though the four parties were removed from the ballot paper for the upcoming elections, the number of parties that will contest the national elections on May 7 remains the highest number of parties to contest a democratic national election in South Africa’s history.
