IEC expected to announce new election timetable
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) is expected to announce a new election timetable on Monday afternoon.
On Friday, the Constitutional Court dismissed the electoral commission's application to postpone the local government elections to next year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The court ordered that the polls be held between 27 October and 1 November.
The African National Congress (ANC), which failed to register some of its candidates after missing the IEC deadline, is hoping the court order will provide a lifeline as it tries to get the registration process reopened.
Former deputy chairperson of the IEC Terry Tselane says the judgment allows the IEC to amend the election timetable only for the purpose of voter registration.
"The Constitutional Court has not completely invalidated the elections timetable. It may actually be difficult to allow for candidate registration. But another view is the fact that people registering anew will give political parties an opportunity to register candidates.
“So, it depends how the IEC is going to be intricate with this together with it's legal team.”
Tselane is now Executive Chairperson of the Institute of Election Management Services in Africa.
