Provisional election date 22 April
Michael Appel
11 February 2009
President Kgalema Motlanthe announced in Parliament on Tuesday that South Africa's fourth national and provincial elections would take place on Wednesday, 22 April.
He added, though, that the date was not yet finalis. "I must, however, emphasise that the actual proclamation of this date will be made later," he said during the debate on the state of the nation address in Cape Town.
The Pretoria High Court found certain provisions of the Electoral Act unconstitutional and therefore invalid this week following an application by a local political party on behalf of a South African living abroad who wanted to be able to vote.
Electoral Act
Under current legislation, citizens who are absent from South Africa on the date of the election are not eligible to vote, with the exception of citizens in the employ of the South African government or on diplomatic missions.
The judgment will now go to the Constitutional Court for confirmation or otherwise. The election date might be pushed back if the Constitutional Court rules in favour of the applicant, as South African citizens living abroad will have to be given a chance to vote.
The voter's roll will also be closed to further registrations once the President officially proclaims the election date.
Capacity and resources
Analysts told BuaNews that allowing South Africans temporarily living abroad to vote in the 2009 elections would be costly to the Independent Electoral Commission, and capacity and resources would be a critical issue that the Constitutional Court would need to consider in its ruling.
It would also be difficult to determine the number of South Africans living in other countries within such a short period.
Deepening democracy
Motlanthe said he hoped the incoming administration would continue the work of previous administrations and strive to improve South Africans' lives. He added that with the country already having held three free and fair general elections, the upcoming election would further "deepen democracy" in South Africa.
Source: BuaNews
