{
  "id": 4990329,
  "title": "ANC risks being locked out of municipal races as IEC stands firm on deadline",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/anc-risks-being-locked-out-of-municipal-races-as-iec-stands-firm-on",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-02T01:44:28.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Citizen",
    "slug": "the-citizen",
    "url": "https://www.citizen.co.za/news/anc-risks-being-locked-out-of-municipal-races-iec-stands-firm-on-deadline/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has firmly denied allegations of favoritism towards the African National Congress (ANC), asserting that no political party will be granted extra time to submit candidates for the 2026 Local Government Elections. This stance follows the ANC's earlier claim that a technical issue prevented it from registering all its candidates in the IEC's system. The deadline for submitting candidate lists was last Friday at 5pm.\n\nThe ANC expressed its confidence in the IEC and the electoral process, commending the Commission for its constructive engagement with affected parties. In response, the IEC clarified that it has not extended any party or independent candidate additional time beyond the candidate nomination deadline. The Commission reaffirmed that the Online Candidate Nomination System was accessible throughout the nomination period, including the cut-off date, and questioned the ANC's delayed submission of candidate lists on the IEC's online platform.\n\nThe ANC now faces the risk of being excluded from the 2026 Local Government Elections in municipalities where it did not submit candidate lists before the official deadline.",
  "summary": "The ANC earlier claimed it was unable to capture all its candidates in the IEC's system due to a technical glitch.",
  "key_points": [
    "IEC denies ANC favoritism, denies extra time for candidate submissions",
    "ANC claims technical issue delayed registration of all candidates",
    "ANC risks exclusion from 2026 Local Government Elections"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The IEC's firm stance on the deadline means the ANC risks being excluded from municipal races where it missed the cutoff, potentially altering the electoral landscape in those areas.",
  "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."
}