By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has published the final lists of political parties and independent candidates that will appear on the various ballot papers in the upcoming National and Provincial Elections.
The IEC published the lists on its website on Wednesday, and has made them available at all of its offices.
The name of former President Jacob Zuma tops the MK Party list.
The Judiciary watchdog organisation Freedom Under Law (FUL) has called on the Electoral Court to urgently release reasons why Zuma is back on the ballot paper.
This is after the court on Tuesday ruled that Zuma will contest the 2024 eletions under the Umkhonto weSiswe (MK) Party.
It dismissed the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC)’s objection against Zuma as the number one candidate of the party.
The court has so far issued its order, with reasons for the decision still to be provided.
In a statement, FUL said the court’s ruling on the matter was urgent, given that the elections were nearing, but highlighted that its reasons for the ruling were equally important.
“The need for an urgent decision on this matter is understandable, considering that elections are imminent. However, the reasons for the decision are of importance, both for the eligibility of the candidate in question and as a general precedent. The rule of law requires that courts give fully motivated reasons for their decisions,” it said.
According to the election management body, a new and historic feature in National and Provincial Elections (NPE) 2024 is that independent candidates will contest for seats in the National Assembly and provincial legislatures.
This is after President Cyril Ramaphosa assented to the law enabling the participation of independent candidates in April 2023.
Six independent candidates will contest for seats in the National Assembly and six will contest the provincial legislature elections.
Meanwhile, the Electoral Code of Conduct has been in effect since the 23 February proclamation of the election date.
On 4 April, the IEC held a special ceremony, where all national contestants publicly pledged to adhere to the Electoral Code of Conduct, as well as to get their members and supporters to act in a manner that is consistent with the code.
Provincial pledge signing ceremonies at the provincial level will take place in the coming weeks.
South Africa will hold its General Election on May 29, which marks the country’s seventh democratic election.
Here is the link to the final candidate lists for the 2024 NPE: https://www.elections.org.za/pw/parties-and-candidates/candidates-list.