10 political parties petition Ramaphosa over Electoral Matters Amendment Bill
The parties say the bill will give the president the power to determine a new threshold for declaring donations and set the limit for such donations. But it’s the way State funds will be allocated to parties that has led to the outrage.
President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers his 2023 State of the Nation Address. Picture: GCIS
CAPE TOWN - Ten political parties in Parliament have petitioned the president over the Electoral Matters Amendment Bill passed by the National Council of Provinces last week.
They are appealing for him to not assent to the bill - saying it’s unconstitutional.
It will give the president the power to determine a new threshold for declaring donations and set the limit for such donations.
But it’s the way State funds will be allocated to parties that has led to the outrage.
While the Electoral Matters Amendment Bill was intended to make it mandatory for independent candidates to also declare their funding - it’s gone much further.
It reverts to the funding formula used before the Political Party Funding Act came into being - to determine how State funds will be allocated between parties.
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In their petition to the president the parties including the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), African Christian Democratic Party, African Transformation Movement, Congress of the People, Democratic Alliance, Freedom Front Plus, Good Party, Inkatha Freedom Party, National Freedom Party, Pan Africanist Congress and United Democratic Movement - say this undermines a multi-party democracy.
It will increase the African National Congress (ANC)'s public funding by at least 25%.
The Democratic Alliance is the only opposition party that would gain by around 10% more. Last week, the National Assembly approved a bill that avails an additional R200 million from State coffers to be split between parties for electioneering.
"If this bill proceeds, the ANC will show South Africans that it’s willing to forego any values and principles in the pursuit of staying in power," said IFP's chief whip Narend Singh.
The parties are calling on the president to refer the substantive amendments in the bill back to Parliament for reconsideration after the elections.