Tselane outlines IEC timetable rules, as ANC heads to court
Former IEC chairperson says IEC can only amend its election timetable under two specific conditions.
Former Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) chairperson Terry Tselane has revealed the conditions under which the Electoral Commission can alter its schedule. His comments come as the African National Congress (ANC) prepares to challenge the commission's decision not to register the party's candidates in certain municipalities. The ANC claims technical issues in the IEC's candidate submission system were to blame for this. However, the commission disagrees with this assertion.
Tselane elaborates on the circumstances that would allow the IEC to modify its timeline. He states, "In 2021, the IEC successfully amended the election timetable to enable parties that had missed the deadline to resubmit. The Constitutional Court approved this move, but highlighted two grounds for such action…" "The first reason they cited was to protect free and fair elections.
Essentially, if the Commission believes that amending the election timetable serves the interests of free and fair elections, they have the authority to do so. The second ground was if the election day itself had been postponed," Tselane explains.
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