‘Independent candidates will have to do political maths’ - analyst
Political analyst Levy Ndou says independent candidates seeking to run for national or provincial elections must get to work immediately.
This comes after a landmark ruling by the Constitutional Court declaring the Electoral Act unconstitutional.
The ruling will allow independent candidates to contest national and provincial elections without being a member of a political party.
Ndou says interested candidates will have to be strategic about their approach.
“Whilst we are celebrating the court ruling, those who’d love to stand as independents will have to do a lot of political mathematics.
“We need to look at the South African population that is eligible to vote and then look at it against your own support as an individual to check as to whether you would still be able to influence voters to an extent that you can still manage to get a seat in Parliament.”
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Ndou adds that the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) will also have its work cut out for it.
“There is obviously a lot of work to be done on the part of the IEC,” says Ndou.
“In South Africa there is an issue of proportional representation in Parliament. It means that is another aspect that the IEC has to address.”
IEC spokesperson Kate Bapela says the election management body is ready to play its part.
“The matter of looking at the process going forward will be dealt with by Parliament and then once Parliament has done its work, only after then will we proceed with administering the amended legislation.”
Parliament says it too respects the judgment of the Constitutional Court and will study its practical implications in relation to its obligations on the legislature.