Election lists deadline could lead to stand-off This week could see a decisive moment arriving for the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the party’s intended participation in the general election. The EFF is arguably the biggest threat to the ruling African National Congress (ANC). Wednesday is the deadline for parties to hand in their election candidate lists to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) accompanied by payment of up to R605,000 as deposit (R200,000 to compete nationally, and R45,000 per province). But the EFF is is till awaiting judgement in its court application to have the requirement to pay the deposit set aside, with no indication when judgement will be made. Meanwhile the EFF has already emphatically stated that it will not pay the deposit if it is more than a few hundred rand. The question is, what happens on Wednesday if judgement remains outstanding and the EFF submits its lists but refuses to pay the deposit. Does the IEC put the EFF lists in the “pending” file as it waits for judgement; does it refuse EFF participation in the election; does the EFF backtrack and pay the deposit; does the EFF say it withholds payment for now as there is a court judgment pending; or does the IEC bow before the EFF and bend the rules? And how will other parties react to any one of these possible actions? Whichever way one looks at it, there seems to be a tricky, even messy situation in the making with a possible stand-off arising that could inject potentially serious tensions into an election process already fraught with warning lights. Written by Africa-International Communications Political Analyst & Editor Stef Terblanche Election warning lights and labour market constraints - Polity.org.za polity.org.za/.../election-warning- ... Election fraud Last week we warned in an Investment Research Note that for the first time this year since the violence that preceded the first democratic elections in 1994, the potential for violence and irregularities are threatening the integrity of a South African general election. The level of political intolerance and violence already present in the election campaigning, and alleged electoral irregularities since the Tlokwe by-elections, plus fears that more irregularities are likely in the coming general election, paint a disturbing picture. Since last week more voices have gone up in this regard, one being that of veteran politician and leader of the United Democratic Movement (UDM), General Bantu Holomisa. In an interview with The Sunday Independent Holomisa expressed his fear that the May 7 vote will be rigged by “rogue elements” within the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) who will try to rescue an ANC that is bound to take a hammering at the polls. Holomisa is not the first opposition politician to express this concern. For instance, AgangSA’s director of communication, Mark Peach, issued a statement published on Politicsweb recently in which he also voiced such concerns. Peach referred to the allegations of irregularities surrounding the IEC’s handling of the Tlokwe by-elections. Like Peach, Holomisa also brought up the issue of whether serial numbers would be printed on ballot papers, how many ballot papers would be distributed to voting stations, and which IT company would count the votes. Fears have been expressed that the latter task may be awarded to controversial Israeli firm Nikuv International Projects which was paid US$13-million (R138.6-million) to allegedly manipulate voter registration, counter ‘unfavourable’ results and ‘neutralise’ opposition votes in Zimbabwe’s last elections. And like Peach, Holomisa also made what may be a thinly veiled reference to IEC head Pansy Tlakula, who was the subject of a Public Protector report last year involving procurement irregularities. Holomisa reportedly said because the ANC knows it will get a hammering at the polls, “they (the ANC) don’t want to remove some people in the IEC which have been involved in the scandal of leasing of buildings”. So far the IEC has remained alarmingly quiet on these issues. Its only public comments since the Tlokwe by-elections have been with regard to its voter registration drive and some by-elections. Holomisa says he has asked the IEC for a meeting at which opposition parties can be collectively briefed. Hopefully the IEC will agree to such a meeting and provide the critical answers, failing which suspicions will simply grow and pave the way for legal challenges of the eventual election result. With violence and intolerance already around, and ample warning signs that election fraud may be a real possibility, South Africa cannot afford such a situation to get out of hand. Not only will it undermine further the already waning confidence in the democratic system and its electoral processes, but it will also play into the hands of right wing elements already hard at work with the spreading of emails, tweets and online posts bearing “evidence” of the election fraud about to be committed. Failing to address concerns and ensure a credible election outcome, or having the outside world doubt the integrity of the election result, could in a worst-case scenario even move South Africa closer to the “failed state” status of countries like Zimbabwe and the DRC. Currently South Africa is positioned at number 113 on the Failed States Index compiled by the Fund for Peace, hovering close to the border between stable states and states to be tagged with a warning. As the Rocky Horror Picture Show line once put it: it’s just a jump to the left. Written by Africa-International Communications Political Analyst & Editor Stef Terblanche Election warning lights and labour market constraints - Polity.org.za polity.org.za/.../election-warning- ...
Posted on: Wed, 12 Mar 2014 08:24:53 +0000
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