BLOGGING THE VIEW: You’ve made your X – what comes next?

It was a great show of democratic commitment as South Africans came out in their millions on Wednesday to make their mark next to their chosen political party or independent candidate.

But now that the big election day is over, many of you might be asking what next?

How does it all work? You’re not alone! Here’s a quick overview of South Africa’s democratic process.

When does counting begin?
It’s already under way in a big way. As soon as voting stations closed at 9pm on Wednesday, the counting began.

This can only be done by staff members of the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) in front of political party and independent candidate agents, observers and others.

When are the results announced?
The South African electoral laws dictate that we have only seven days from voting day to ‘declare the elections’ – which means announcing the final results.

At least one week from election day we will know which political parties or independent candidates are going to be dominating our news cycles for the next five years.

When is the president selected?
Once the results are announced, we can expect the real politicking to start – except we probably won’t see it.

Deals, negotiations and coalitions will undoubtedly be made behind closed doors as we wait to hear who our president will be.

What about the National Assembly?
The National Assembly then has to meet within 14 days from the announcement of the results.

All 400 MPs are sworn in, with the Presidential Inauguration held within 5 days of swearing the MPs into office.

He (most likely a ‘he’) will then announce the Cabinet, which includes the executive and deputy ministers.

There is going to be a lot of fake news disseminated in the next few weeks, so make sure you’re checking your sources, questioning everything you read, and sticking to reputable news organisations.

SOURCE:
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-05-27-the-ballots-have-been-cast-now-what/

HAVE YOUR SAY