IEC to assess compliance, dash hopes
The Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) will this week disappoint some or perhaps many of the 600 registered political parties and independent candidates when they are informed that they have not complied sufficiently with regulations.
The IEC said in a statement that the chief electoral officer must notify a registered political party and independent candidate that has not fully complied with the required conditions of the noncompliance by March 18. They will have the opportunity to comply by March 20.
Although there were almost 400 parties registered in 2019, only 79 eventually appeared on the national and provincial ballot on election day.
Some parties have complained about the high signature threshold required for registration, as well as the fact that it could cost those that contest the national and all provincial ballots up to R700,000 in registration fees.
Former president Thabo Mbeki will weigh in on topical issues with a public lecture at Unisa in Pretoria on Wednesday.
Party political campaigning is expected to continue in earnest with SA’s three biggest parties the ANC, DA and EFF
mobilising support around the country with just months to go until the landmark poll.
Business Day also reported recently that the battle for the coloured vote in the Western Cape has intensified.
Elections analyst Wayne Sussman has said by-election results in the province suggested the DA “is in trouble in outlying areas”. In January, Business Day published an internal DA poll that suggested SA’s official opposition party might be affected by its perceived support for Israel in the war with Hamas in Gaza.
President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Tuesday co-chair the second session of the SA-Ghana Bi-National Commission with Ghana’s president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The commission will be preceded by a ministerial meeting on Monday and will conclude with a business forum the following day.
On Tuesday, the National Assembly will debate and vote on the Electoral Matters Amendment Bill, which fundamentally changes the formula for the allocation of funds for political parties and independent candidates.
Also on Tuesday, deputy president Paul Mashatile will answer questions from MPs in the National Council of Provinces on matters including youth unemployment, the skills shortage, water crisis and land reform.
During a question-andanswer session with the governance cluster of ministers in the National Assembly on Wednesday, the presidency will be asked about the international fallout from SA’s support for Palestine following Israel’s invasion of the territory after the attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7.
“What steps has Brand SA taken to counter the negative publicity, particularly in a time when the republic is spearheading various global matters of importance that can trigger geopolitical tensions at a time of proliferation of fake news and the rapid flow of information in a connected world, which can result in a country’s reputation being tarnished through disinformation and biased reporting?” the ANC asks in the question paper.
On Thursday the Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill will be debated and voted on in the National Assembly.
The bill provides for the creation of a transmission system operator and an open market platform that allows for competitive electricity trading crucial steps in the unbundling of Eskom.
MANY POLITICAL PARTIES AND INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES HAVE NOT MET THE CONDITIONS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ELECTIONS