South Africa to ‘review’ 2021 election conditions
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) says it will urgently review whether the country is equipped to hold the local government elections later this year.
In a media briefing on Thursday (20 May), the commission said that it has appointed former Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke to review the current conditions and if they are conducive to hold elections.
It said that a number of concerns have been raised by political parties about whether elections could be held in a free and fair way. Specific concerns have been raised around campaigning efforts, which have been impacted by lockdown restrictions.
The commission said that its own position is that it is possible to hold the elections, with a number of by-elections successfully held over the last few weeks. It added that a number of other countries have successfully held elections under lockdown restrictions.
The IEC said that an independent evaluation would allow it to go the ‘extra mile’ to ensure that the elections are fair. The elections are currently scheduled to be held on 27 October 2021, however, this has not officially been proclaimed in the government gazette.
The review will need to be concluded by July, the IEC said. It added that it will focus on the balance of protecting South Africa’s constitutional democracy and protecting lives.
The announcement by the IEC comes as the country faces the impact of a third Covid-19 wave. On Wednesday (19 May), South Africa reported 3,522 new Covid-19 cases, taking the total reported to 1,621,362.
Deaths have reached 55,507, while recoveries have climbed to 1,528,868, leaving the country with a balance of 36,987 active cases. The total number of vaccines administered is 558,170.
Read: Unions call for schools in South Africa to close as third Covid-19 wave hits
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