ActionSA takes IEC to court

Radio Islam

The Electoral Court has ordered the country's Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to file responding papers by Tuesday, 12 October, in response to a challenge brought to its decision not to print the full name of ActionSA in the acronym spot of the ballot for the 1 November local government poll. The IEC has argued that ActionSA's papers lodged contained no acronym and that the process of printing ballot papers has already commenced. ActionSA has argued that the 8-letter name meant that it complied with the regulation to have an acronym of fewer than eight letters, and that the full party name itself should have thus been printed on the ballot. The party further expressed its dismay at the court's slow decision, especially since no date has been set for it to rule. A study by the IEC in 2020 concluded that the party logo was the primary identifier concerning voting behaviour; however, this may be different in a local government context since the picture will differ dependent on the person contesting the ward. Speaking to Radio Islam International, Lerato Ngobeni, a spokesperson for ActionSA, expressed her dismay at the decision, calling it unconstitutional and improper.