Cope pushing to have bill passed by elections

COPE is hopeful that Parliament could still push for the passing of a law that allows for independent candidates to contest the upcoming general elections.

“We are determined that Parliament must pass this bill that Mr Lekota and Cope have proposed. That is the bill we as Cope are serious about,” party spokesperson Dennis Bloem said yesterday.

Bloem made the comments after the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) announced its readiness for the elections, which are to be held in May.

It was also after the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) passed the Electoral Amendment Laws dealing with several electoral matters in preparation for the elections.

In December, Cope leader Mosiuoa Lekota published a notice to introduce a bill aimed to provide for independent candidates to contest this year’s general elections.

The draft bill was published despite having a very slim chance of being considered by Parliament before the end of term of the national legislature.

In his notice, Lekota said he intended to have a private member’s bill in Parliament during the first quarter of 2019.

He said the current electoral system allowed for political parties to contest elections in the National Assembly and provincial legislatures.

“While there are some advantages of such a system, there are also some weaknesses, such as lack of accountability of members of the relevant legislatures to their voters, the alienation of voters from the political system, and no provision is made for the voting public to vote for individual members,” Lekota said.

He charged that this state of affairs was allowed despite the Constitution providing that “every adult citizen has a right to stand for public office and, if elected, to hold office”.

The draft bill, published on December 7, said that the Electoral Act should be amended to give effect to the Constitution.

It called on the Electoral Commission Act to accommodate independent candidates and regulate related matters.

Yesterday, Bloem said the passing of the bill into law depended on Parliament’s workload.

“The lifespan of Parliament will be shortened because of the elections. Parliament opens next month… it really depends on the workload,” he said when asked about the prospects of the bill being passed.

“But we as Cope want to see it (independents contesting elections) happen in the coming elections. We don’t want any delays,” Bloem added.

He took a swipe at Speaker Baleka Mbete for what he termed delaying the introduction of the bill to Parliament for consideration.

“The Speaker of Parliament must be blamed for this delay. It was tabled long ago but she used delaying tactics not to introduce it. We are very concerned,” Bloem said. “It is urgent that the bill be enacted into law before the elections.”

Mbete’s spokesperson, Moloto Mothapo, said he would have to look at the genesis of the bill, but he said the process followed in the formulation of laws included public participation and processes involving the NCOP and the National Assembly.

However, Mothapo said Cope needed to answer why they thought a bill brought to Parliament for introduction late last year should take precedence over the business of Parliament and be rushed.

The Speaker must be blamed for this delay. It was tabled long ago, but she used delaying

tactics. DENNIS BLOEM Cope spokesperson