DA warns of ‘absolute chaos’ if ConCourt rules in favour of late ANC candidate lists

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The Democratic Alliance (DA) said that if the African National Congress (ANC) is granted another opportunity to submit candidate lists for 6 municipalities, after missing the deadline, it would cause “absolute chaos”.

Today, the party made a last-ditch appeal to the Constitutional Court to overturn a ruling by the Electoral Court, which confirms the exclusion of 181 of its candidates.

The ANC told the court that by uploading its candidates’ details to the electronic system, it indicated intent to field the candidates in the November local government elections.

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The DA said that if the ANC is granted a second chance, then other parties in the same position should also be allowed to have their candidates included on the ballot.

The DA is acting as an intervening party in the ANC’s case against the Electoral Commission.

It said that if the court finds in the ANC’s favour, then all parties which uploaded candidate names before the deadline, but failed to press the final submit button, should be allowed to contest.

Advocate Michael Bishop said that there’s no way for the Commission to know whether captured lists that could be withdrawn or amended before the submission deadline were supposed to be considered as final.

He said that the electoral rules must apply equally to all.

“We know there are many other candidates in the same position. There’s at least one other party that approached the Electoral Court. The matter was heard just hours before the ANC’s matter. Freedom in South Africa. What happens to Freedom in South Africa? Do they get on the ballot? What happens to all the other candidates? Do they get on the ballot? It won’t be a free and fair election if they are not,” said Bishop.

The IEC’s Advocate Terry Motau said that the Commission took no decision on its own whether or not to accept party lists, and that granting the ANC leave to appeal this matter is not in the interest of justice.

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