Freedom Front Plus to sit at top of ballot on election day – Here’s why
The IEC held a random draw to avoid any perceived advantage given to parties starting with the letter 'A'.
The Freedom Front Plus (FF+) party will occupy the top position on the ballot for the 2026 local government elections in South Africa. The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) conducted a random draw during a signing ceremony in Midrand on Wednesday. This draw was implemented to prevent any perceived advantage for parties whose names began with the first letter of the alphabet.
FF+, whose Afrikaans name "Vryheidsfront Plus" precedes the English translation on its IEC registration, secured the top spot. Following it on the ballot will be Vuka SA and ActionSA. In areas lacking parties beginning with a Z, such as Bela-Bela, the FF+ will be followed by the AC/DP and other parties starting with an A. The IEC officials requested a random volunteer to draw the ball, with eNCA's Naledi Moleo volunteering to perform the task.
IEC chairperson Mosotho Moepya confirmed that the Vryheidsfront Plus will indeed be the first party listed on the ballot, with the order continuing as instructed by Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Masego Shiburi. Ward and proportional representation (PR) ballots with more than 48 candidates will feature a double-column format. This will apply to Johannesburg's PR ballot with 75 parties, Tshwane's with 70, and eThekwini, Ekurhuleni, and Cape Town's with 69, 67, and 55, respectively.
On PR ballots, parties will be identified by their name, abbreviation, and logo, while on ward ballots, the candidate's name from their ID will precede the party and logo.
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