UDF petitions Ramaphosa to postpone elections over Electoral Act
· Citizen
The United Democratic Front (UDF) has petitioned President Cyril Ramaphosa and other state organs to postpone the 4 November local government election, citing the Electoral Act as unconstitutional.
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The UDF is asking the government to halt the elections to allow time for the Constitutional Court to rule on the Electoral Act, as well as the roles and authority invested in the IEC.
UDF asks government to halt elections
UDF national convenor Jo Mboweni said that while the amended Electoral Act has rendered the voters as mere fodder for the political parties on the one hand, the IEC, on the other hand, is structured to act “unlawfully as a gatekeeper”.
He said the petition or referendum is long overdue in SA, which claims to be a democratic country.
In line with its recent special general council decision, the UDF has petitioned Ramaphosa, ministers of home affairs, cooperative governance and traditional affairs, justice, as well as the SA Human Rights Commission and chief justice.
It also demanded the parliamentary speaker convene a sitting for a special debate on the election postponement and a referendum.
“What we are witnessing is transactions concluded in the corridors by political parties and those transactions endorsed by both the judiciary and the IEC,” said Mboweni.
Party rejects proportional representation system
The UDF rejects the proportional representation system, he said, adding that it violates the constitution because it deprives citizens of their right to directly choose representatives.
The UDF is the first party to serve a petition to the president’s office on this issue, which has been a bone of contention since the 1994 democratic dispensation.
“The PR system is unlawful and steals the rights of the voters,” Mboweni said.
The UDF has been inundated this week with calls from South Africans, including struggle stalwarts, in support of the petition.
Ramaphosa’s office has responded to acknowledge receipt of the UDF petition, but others are yet to respond.
Organisation gave government seven days
The organisation gave the government seven days to facilitate discussions on the postponement of the 4 November elections, failing which a referendum must be called to test the citizens’ views on electoral reforms.
The UDF said it won’t contest the upcoming elections but will participate in the 2029 polls.
It has begun to establish its structures and prepare for a people’s convention.