Some parties throw weight behind IEC amid vote rigging claims

JOHANNESBURG - Some parties have thrown their weight behind the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) as the commission faces an onslaught of claims of vote rigging.

The African Congress for Transformation (ACT), Cape Coloured Congress (CCC), the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), and uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party in Western Cape want votes to be recounted.

They claim they have proof of irregularities in the capturing of the votes, impacting the outcomes.

ALSO READ:

- 'Credibility has always been on our side,' says former IEC chair amid concerns

- As vote counting picks up pace, political parties start picking apart poll results

- IEC’s National Results Operations Centre main focus for party leaders on Saturday

Tensions erupted on Friday night at the results centre in Western Cape when the Freedom Front (FF) Plus's Peter Marais was among politicians crying foul.

"If this is the way they're going to run elections, then we're not far from an Arab Spring."

But some parties don’t believe results are compromised. Build One South Africa (BOSA) leader Mmusi Maimane defended the IEC.

"We're not part of those objections in that regard. The IEC gets a pass for these elections. I've engaged the African Union on the election results and so now we take the thing going forward."

Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC) deputy president Victor Serakalala said the party also had no objections.

"We, from our party agents, haven’t received any serious complaints. If there are political parties who have proof, then we will support any mechanism that will protect the integrity of the elections."

The IEC said it's looking into the objections.