Candidate ruling extended to other political parties: IEC

The Electoral Commission (IEC) has announced that 32 other political parties will be allowed to submit their candidate list following Thursday’s Constitutional Court judgment in Braamfontein, Johannesburg.

The court ruled in favour of the African National Congress (ANC), allowing their candidates to now be included on the ballot papers.

Briefing the media in Pretoria, IEC Chairperson Mosotho Moepya says it would be irrational to exclude parties who are in the same situation as the ANC regarding candidate exclusions.

“Consistent with a 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 that the 32 similarly situated parties must be deemed to have lawfully submitted their candidates. 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.”

IEC briefing on the outcome of the Constitutional Court judgment and outline the way forward: