In South Africa, electoral commission finalizes candidate list, excludes 181 ANC candidates
South Africa’s Electoral Commission (IEC) has finalized the list of candidates for the local elections on November 4. It did not include 181 candidates from the African National Congress (ANC) in six municipalities after the Electoral Court dismissed the party’s lawsuit against the commission’s actions.
As Daily Maverick reports, on September 16 the court did not uphold the ANC’s demand concerning candidates whose nominations had not been completed by the deadline of 17:00 on August 28. The party decided to appeal the ruling, but the IEC is continuing preparations for the vote in accordance with the electoral calendar.
Number of candidates and seats
According to the IEC, 136,790 candidates meet the legal requirements to participate in the elections. Of these, 98,219 are party-nominated candidates in electoral districts, 38,571 are party candidates for proportional representation seats, while another 621 independent candidates are running in districts.
There will be 10,526 seats in eight metropolitan municipalities, 44 district municipalities and 205 local municipalities. In 2021, 10,478 seats were contested, and the number of certified candidates was 95,427.
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Nomination checks and ballots
After nominations closed, the commission conducted legally required checks and disqualified 5,096 candidates. The IEC verified payment of the required deposits and the proper completion of nominations. In particular, on September 4, the commission notified 221 parties and independent candidates about 1,280 nominees for whom identity documents or completed consent-to-nomination forms had not been submitted.
On September 9, the IEC also notified participants about 550 candidates who had been nominated simultaneously as independents and by a political party, or by more than one party. Participants were given time to decide whether to retain such candidates or replace them.
IEC Deputy Chief Electoral Officer for Electoral Operations Masego Sheburi said that the commission cannot make exceptions for participants who did not complete the required procedures within the established timeframe. According to him, electoral deadlines are necessary for certainty and fairness in the process.
The draw to determine ballot placement is scheduled for September 23, and candidate certificates are to be issued on September 25. In Johannesburg, 75 parties will compete for proportional representation seats; in Tshwane, 70; in eThekwini, 69; in Ekurhuleni, 67; and in Cape Town, 55. For these municipalities, the IEC will prepare two-column ballots for proportional representation voting.
