Countdown to SA polls in May

MARY JANE MPHAHLELE

WITH UP to 270 registered parties vying to contest the 2019 general elections, the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) says it needs to ensure they meet all the requirements.

The elections have been set down for May and the final voter registration weekend will be the end of January.

IEC spokesperson Kate Bapela said the number of registered parties was not yet final as more parties were expected to register.

“The election has not yet been proclaimed, therefore we have no indication of which parties will in actual fact contest the event, although all of the registered parties are eligible provided they submit their candidates and pay the requisite deposit,” Bapela said.

A large number of small parties are expected to register. A recent entrant is the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) which was given the go-ahead to function as a political party.

According to the IEC, there is no specific number of votes attached to a seat.

Instead, the minimum number of votes required per seat is calculated in terms of a quota that is dependent on the voter turnout in an election.

In a report tabled before Parliament in September, the IEC allocated R133 million for the 2017 financial year and said 90% of this was based on proportional representation, with 10% allocated equally among the parties.

The ANC received R79m from the IEC in the last financial year, the DA was allocated R28m and the EFF R10m.

The IFP received R3.7m, the National Freedom Party R2m with the Freedom Front Plus obtaining R1.9m.

A report by Afrobarometer last week showed that the majority of South Africans are willing to give the ANC another chance at governing the country, while the DA has lost support.

The survey noted an increase in support for the EFF and a decline in intention to vote for the ANC among the youth and the DA’S white voters.

Political analyst Ralph Mathekga has cast doubt on whether the parties will score big. He said more parties are expected to enter the polls, with the ANC losing more votes.

“I don’t see the ANC able to turn things around. As the state capture inquiry keeps going ahead, the ANC keeps looking bad,” said Mathekga.

Mathekga said the EFF, which has shown growth in membership, mostly among young people, was likely to earn more seats in Parliament.