Three political parties will take the Electoral Commission (IEC) to the Constitutional Court in a last-ditch bid to join the race for the 2024 national and provincial elections.
The apex court will hear three applications from the African Congress for Transformation (ACT), Labour Party of South Africa and the Afrikan Alliance of Social Democrats, who all seek leave to appeal the April judgment of the Electoral Court.
The applicants were barred from contesting the upcoming elections after they failed to comply with Section 27 of the Electoral Act by submitting their lists by the March deadline.
The applicants blamed their failure to comply with the IECs online portal which they allege malfunctioned. The Electoral Court, however, ruled in favour of the IEC finding that evidence showed that the Online Candidate Nomination System functioned without issues at the relevant time.
The IEC will oppose the three applications before the apex court and submit that if the court grants the relief sought, the IEC will not be in a position to deliver free and fair elections on 29 May 2024.
