DA launches Electoral Court application for more voting stations abroad
The DA argues that DIRCO and the IEC should for the purposes of voting not differentiate between consulates headed by transferred staff, and those led by honorary consuls.
Picture: Eyewitness News
CAPE TOWN - The Democratic Alliance (DA) has approached the Electoral Court to force the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) to open more voting stations abroad.
The party has been battling this issue for several months, following complaints from countries like Australia and China about the travel distance to embassies.
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has already announced that embassies in Ukraine, Sudan and Israel are not expected to open for voting.
The IEC has appealed to South Africans abroad to register to vote or to check their status for the first time, using the online portal.
But South Africa’s electoral system does not allow for electronic voting.
The DA says it submitted legal papers to the Electoral Court on Thursday to request the inclusion of all embassies, high commissions and consulates as voting stations abroad.
The DA’s federal council chairperson Helen Zille said this is in response to complaints from South Africans living in Perth, who want the consulate there to serve as a voting station and not only the embassy in Canberra.
The DA argues that DIRCO and the IEC should for the purposes of voting not differentiate between consulates headed by transferred staff, and those led by honorary consuls.
Around 21,000 South Africans voted abroad in the 2019 elections.