A voter casts his ballot as part of the general elections at the Ntolwane Primary School in the rural village of Nkandla, on May 7, 2014. Picture: RAJESH JANTILAL / AFP
The record-setting high number of political parties planning to take part in South Africa’s 2019 elections will have a bearing on the Independent Electoral Commission’s (IEC) admin system, according to IEC deputy CEO Masego Shiburi.
Speaking to EWN, Shiburi said that this year’s record number of 48 parties registered and paid to take part in the national and provincial elections would result in the IEC having to double the pages on the ballot paper to accommodate them all.
This may make it difficult for voters to find their party of choice as the ballot paper will now have four pages instead of two.
The change will also affect the number of political party agents present in a voting station.
“We are talking about a minimum of 48×2,” began Shiburi, before adding: “We will ask political parties to take turns in observing – it is impossible that we can fit all 32 in a voting station.”
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