FF Plus is opposed to postponing municipal elections scheduled to take place on 27 October
23 July 2021
The FF Plus is opposed to postponing the municipal elections that are scheduled to take place on the 27th of October this year. The Electoral Commission (IEC) is quite possibly mistaken in its assumption that the next wave of Covid-19 infections will reach its peak at that time.
In contrast to the IEC's view on this, there are several other credible projections indicating that the next wave will not hit the country in October, but rather in mid-December to January next year.
It, however, remains uncertain. Should the December/January projections be accurate, postponing the elections to early next year would be ill-timed.
The FF Plus hears alarm bells ringing with regard to the IEC's decision. There is a constitutional provision on elections which clearly stipulates that the next election may not be held any later than ninety days after the year date of the previous election.
Should the Constitutional Court allow non-compliance with certain provisions in the Constitution, it may pave the way for situations in the future where other elections on national and provincial level can also be postponed for various reasons. It could possibly set a dangerous precedent.
It would constitute a serious violation of Section 1 of the Constitution, which aims to ensure that the country's democratic dispensation is protected and maintained and that frequent elections form the foundation thereof.
Section 1 can only be amended with a majority decision of 75% in Parliament.
Political parties can still campaign under the current circumstances by means of methods other than direct contact visits. The international viewpoint is also that elections can still be free and fair even though campaigning cannot be conducted as usual.
The FF Plus's view is that local government in South Africa finds itself in such a dire situation due to the ANC's poor service delivery and, thus, voters must be given the opportunity to bring about change as soon as possible.
Issued by Pieter Groenewald, FF Plus leader, 23 July 2021
