Activities’
Disgruntled parties urged to establish peaceful means to protest against poll results
FORMER Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan has called on political parties who were disgruntled over the results of the general elections not to resort to illegal activities as they voice their dissatisfaction.
This comes as 27 of the 48 political parties that contested elections threatened – through a letter from their lawyers to the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) – to take the commission to the Electoral Court if it does not appoint an independent firm by 11am today to audit the results due to irregularities and alleged double voting.
Jonathan headed the observer mission of the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA) during the elections.
He said the 2019 elections were conducted within strong legal and institutional framework that guaranteed democratic elections.
“South Africa, through these elections, met its obligations to democratic elections, set out in the different international instruments to which it is part,” Jonathan said.
All the parties, including Cope, PAC, Black First Land First, African Content Movement (ACM), African Transformation Movement and NFP, had secured less than 1% of voter support by late yesterday, with national vote counting at 95%.
The removal of the indelible ink by some voters, faults with the scanning machine and allegations of double voting in several voting stations, were among scandals that marred the polls.
Jonathan said while the EISA’S observers noted the allegations, there was no serious evidence that undermined the credibility of the elections, as there was no unusual increase in voter turn-out in comparison to previous elections.
“Such an increase would have been expected in the case of widespread multiple voting,” he said.
He said the aggrieved parties, which also threatened rolling mass action, had to express their dissatisfaction within the confines of the law.
“We wish to further encourage political leaders to be measured and well-informed in their pronouncements, to avoid misleading or inciting the public,” Jonathan said.
The ACM’S Romeo Ramuada, said the parties would continue to oppose the election outcomes.
“Those numbers do not represent the will of the people. If it comes to push, we are going to call our masses to come here and protest for free and fair elections,” Ramuada said.
Cope spokesperson Dennis Bloem accused the ANC of colluding with the IEC to cheat in the election.
“They deployed their own cadres in the voting stations. We know that SA Democratic Teachers Union is part and parcel of running the elections. We are not stupid here. We are not going to allow a situation where a ruling party is coming to make this country a banana republic,” Bloem said.
The Nelson Mandela Foundation (NMF), which also played an observer role, affirmed the elections as free and fair.
NMF chief executive, Sello Hatang, said the smaller parties were probably misled by voters.
“There is a difference between someone saying ‘I am going to vote for you’ and actually voting for you. A vote promised and a vote delivered are two different things and I guess counting your eggs before they hatch leads to disappointments,” he said.