UDM waits on secret ballot ruling
UNITED Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa says the party has no time to quarrel with National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete over its Constitutional Court application.
This comes after Mbete last week pointed out that she had no discretion to decide on whether the motion of the no confidence vote against President Jacob Zuma should be held under a secret ballot or not.
“We are not going to argue with her about what she can and cannot do. The court will have a final say in this matter,” Holomisa said yesterday.
The opposition party has until Friday to make written submissions to the Concourt detailing why it would like the highest court of the land to rule that Mbete uses her power as speaker to consider the votes being held in secret.
The UDM wants the court to rule on this before a motion of no confidence debate is heard in May.
And while the UDM waits for a date to be set down in which the Concourt will hear the matter, Parliament has said that Mbete will argue that Section 102 of the constitution, which outlines the procedure for motions of no confidence, makes no provision for voting to be conducted through a secret ballot.
She will also tell the Concourt that likewise, the rules of the National Assembly do not allow for secret voting.
In 2015, the Western Cape High Court dismissed a similar case by Agang SA. But Holomisa said the high court judgment was minor and he was confident this time the Concourt would take their submissions into consideration in the interest of the country.