Parties reminded not to change lists before first council sittings

The IEC has warned political parties that they are only allowed to alter the order of their candidate lists or substitute nominated candidates following the inaugural council meetings. The Electoral Commission made this clarification during a press conference held at its headquarters in Centurion. The briefing centered on the forthcoming tasks post the announcement of the Local Government Election outcomes last week.

It declared that it has officially listed the names of councillors who have been confirmed as elected. This came after a written request to parties on Monday that had nominated fewer Proportional Representative candidates than the seats they had secured to submit names to fill the gaps. The IEC has also notified political parties to inform them about seats assigned to designated candidates that were assigned to multiple seats.

This window was intended for parties to provide the names and details of additional candidates to meet the shortfall, not to adjust their lists or replace candidates. Parties can only modify the order of their lists or replace nominated candidates after the initial council meeting, as stipulated in the Municipal Structures Act. Should a party submit fewer names than the seats they won and fail to supplement its list, it could lose seats if the shortfall makes it impossible to achieve quorum for the municipal council, stated IEC Chairperson Mosotho Moepya.