News24 | UPDATE | IEC says ConCourt’s ruling on missing ANC candidates will apply to all parties

IEC chairperson Mosotho Moepya said for the sake of fairness, all parties’ submissions should be considered as final because they had paid their deposits.

Gallo Images/Lubabalo Lesolle

Following Thursday’s Constitutional Court ruling on omitted candidates, the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has announced that 32 political parties who were in the same predicament as the ANC should be included on the ballot in the upcoming local government elections.

IEC chairperson Mosotho Moepya said for the sake of fairness, these parties’ submissions should be considered as final because they had paid their deposits.

Addressing the media at the IEC’s headquarters in Centurion on Friday, Moepya said: ““Consistent with the constitutional imperative for free and fair elections, as well as the importance of upholding the interest that the inherent principle of parity of treatment, the commission has resolved to include the 32 political parties.

“The commission will contact the 32 political parties to check whether they are still interested in participating in the 4 November elections.”

Moepya added: “The commission’s view is that it would be irrational and offensive to the principle of parity of treatment to exclude parties similarly situated to the ANC.”

These developments will not affect the preparations for the 4 November elections, the IEC said.

On Thursday, the Constitutional Court ruled that the commission must do everything in its power to ensure that the ANC can compete in the six municipalities where the party failed to press the “submit as final” button for its candidate lists.

The affected municipalities are: Sundays River Valley, Walter Sisulu, Ngquza Hill, Port St Johns, uMshwathi and Mangaung.