{
  "id": 11393089,
  "title": "IEC says it’s not taking sides as it brands the DA election case ‘without merit’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/iec-says-its-not-taking-sides-as-it-brands-the-da-election-case",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-02T08:10:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "IOL",
    "slug": "iol",
    "url": "https://iol.co.za/news/politics/2026-10-02-iec-says-its-not-taking-sides-as-it-brands-the-da-election-case-without-merit/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has declared the Democratic Alliance's (DA) legal challenge against single-candidate proportional representation lists as baseless. Chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo stated that the DA's application, filed just weeks before voting day, came too late as nominations had closed and candidate lists had been certified. The IEC firmly believes the DA's case is without merit in law, criticizing many of their arguments as factually opportunistic and legally specious. The DA had raised concerns about voters not being able to see a full list of potential councillors before voting and challenged the use of provisions allowing parties to supplement their lists after an election. However, Mamabolo noted that the practice of using single-name PR lists has been employed in previous local government elections, including by the DA itself in 12 municipalities for the 2026 elections. The IEC maintains that the timing of the DA's application, launched on September 21, is disruptive as it could potentially affect the proportional representation ballot and the allocation of seats after votes have been cast. The IEC will now decide whether the use of single-candidate PR lists and their supplementation is permitted under the electoral framework, which will be determined by the Electoral Court.",
  "summary": "The IEC says it is not taking sides in the DA’s PR list challenge, calling the case ‘without merit’ and legally flawed.",
  "key_points": [
    "IEC declares DA election case baseless.",
    "DA's application launched too late, disrupting proportional representation ballot."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}