IEC extends candidate list submissions to 32 parties

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has extended an opportunity to submit candidate lists to 32 political parties it says were in a similar position to the African National Congress (ANC), ahead of the November fourth local government elections (LGE).

ANC VS IEC | IEC Chairperson Mosotho Moepya says 32 parties facing similar issues to the ANC have also been allowed to contest the local government elections, in the interest of fair elections. https://t.co/FLZ1b0Fqek

— SABC News (@SABCNews) October 16, 2026

The Commission says the decision is aimed at ensuring equal treatment of political parties following the Constitutional Court ruling in favour of the ANC. The IEC says the 32 parties had nominated compliant candidates and paid their election deposits, but had not submitted their final candidate lists. IEC chairperson, Mosotho Moepya says excluding parties in similar circumstances would raise concerns about fairness in the electoral process.

“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. The commission emphasizes that the inclusion of parties was made judiciously and solely for the purposes of advancing free and fair elections demanded by our constitution.”

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