Elections 2024: Parties have until Friday to submit candidate lists for national and provincial representation

JOHANNESBURG - It’s a big week for political parties as the timetable for South Africa’s landmark seventh democratic elections kicks into full gear.
 
All parties, including old and new as well as independents wishing to be on the ballot have until Friday to nominate candidates who they want to represent them in the National Assembly and provincial legislatures.
 
The Electoral Commission (IEC) has also set aside Monday for them to register their own objections to the inclusion or exclusion of a voter on the voters' roll.
 
The IEC said it will consider these objections by 11 March.
 
With the voters roll now closed and with verification processes already underway, contestants must now focus their attention on their candidate lists which must be submitted by 5 pm on Friday.
 
IEC’s chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo said after this, it will issue notices of non-compliance where warranted.
 
These will be issued on 18 March and those issued with such notices must rectify non-compliance by 20 March.
 
While those wishing to become public representatives might want to be nominated across several parties, Mamabolo said the law now compells the commission to inform organisations when a candidate they’ve nominated appears on more than one party list.
 
He said parties will then get a chance to either remove, substitute or confirm affected candidates.
 
These notifications will be issued on 22 March with parties having until 25 March to submit requests of removals, substitution, or confirmation of candidature.
 
These crucial processes are also likely to weed out parties that were simply never serious or ready to contest the upcoming polls.