On March 29, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) published the names of all the candidates nominated by political parties. The names are on the IEC website. People have until April 2 to object to any of the people on the list. This marked the latest developments as South Africa moves closer to the May 8 election.
UPDATE: During a media briefing on April 9, the IEC announced they had received 52 objections against candidates nominated for the elections. Only one objection against a Pan-Africanist Congress candidate was upheld.
On March 20, political parties contesting the 2019 National Elections gathered to sign the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) code of conduct. This ceremony marked a public commitment by political parties to uphold the provisions and the purpose of the Code Conduct. During the ceremony there was a ballot draw to decide the position of parties on the ballot paper. This was to ensure there isn’t any confusion and there is fairness with regards to how the parties line up. Possible confusions like similar party names, colours and logos are taken into consideration in the ordering process.
Before parties could take part in the ceremony, parties had a March 13 deadline to pay a deposit to secure their place on the national and provincial elections ballots.
Parties contesting both national and provincial elections are required to pay a deposit of R200,000 for the national ballot and R45,000 for each provincial ballot. The deposit is refunded in full to parties which win at least one seat in each legislature they contest. The deposits of parties which fail to secure a seat are forfeited to the National Revenue Fund, the IEC website explains.
These are the parties confirmed to be on the national ballot this year:
- African National Congress
- Democratic Alliance
- Economic Freedom Fighters
- African Security Congress
- African Alliance of Social Democrats
- African Christian Democratic Party
- African Congress of Democrats
- African Content Movement
- African Covenant
- African Democratic Change
- African Independent Congress
- African Renaissance Unity Party
- African Transformation Movement
- Agang South Africa
- Al Jama-ah
- Alliance for Transformation for All
- Azanian People’s Organisation
- African People’s Convention
- Better Residents Association
- Black First Land First
- Capitalist Party of South Africa
- Christian Political Movement
- Compatriots of South Africa
- Congress of the People
- Democratic Liberal Congress
- Economic Emancipation Forum
- Forum for Service Delivery
- Free Democrats
- Front National
- GOOD
- Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa
- Inkatha Freedom Party
- International Revelation Congress
- Land Party
- Minority Front
- National Freedom Party
- National People’s Ambassadors
- National People’s Front
- Pan Africanist Congress of Azania
- Patriotic Alliance
- People’s Revolutionary Movement
- Power of Africans Unity
- Socialist Revolutionary Workers Party
- South African Maintenance and Estate Beneficiaries Association
- South African National Congress of Traditional Authorities
- United Democratic Movement
- Vryheid Front +
- Women Forward
When South Africans go into the voting booth on May 8, this is the ballot where votes will be placed.
The Daily Vox team has been compiling profiles on political parties competing in the elections. Here is the current list – which will be updated all the time.
Additional reporting by Shaazia Ebrahim.
Featured image via Flickr
