Speaker mulls renewed request for secret ballot in Ramaphosa no-confidence motion
Parliament has confirmed that it has received a renewed request from African Transformation Movement (ATM) for its motion of no confidence against President Cyril Ramaphosa to be conducted by way of a secret ballot.
The party resubmitted its motion of no confidence against Ramaphosa to National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula on Wednesday.
The ATM originally tabled the motion in February 2020 and requested that Members of Parliament (MPs) be allowed to vote in secret, to avoid possible intimidation.
The request led to a court battle that culminated with the order by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) to resubmit the motion.
The SCA set aside the Speaker’s decision to reject a request by ATM to allow voting by secret ballot.
Parliament spokesperson Moloto Mothapo says the ATM believes a secret ballot is the only rational way of voting in a no-confidence motion against the president.
“The ATM’s motivation draws parallels with the factors that prevailed in 2017 when the Constitutional Court (Concourt) delivered its judgement on the United Democratic Movement’s (UDM’s) call for a secret ballot. The Concourt directed that a secret vote becomes necessary where the prevailing atmosphere is ‘toxified or highly charged’. The ATM argues, in their submission to the Speaker, that a closed ballot is the only rational possibility in the prevailing circumstances,” says Mothapo
Mothapo says the Speaker will announce her decision soon.
“Speaker Mapisa-Nqakula is applying her mind afresh, to the motivation of the ATM for a secret ballot. She will decide and announce her decision in due course. Last week’s Supreme Court of Appeal judgement affirmed the powers of the Speaker to decide the best mode or procedure of voting by Members of the National Assembly, as she deems appropriate, informed by the prevailing context,"
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