Photo by [EWN]
African Elections Expert and the CEO of the Elections Consulting agency of South Africa, Lulu White, believes the Electoral Amendment Bill is necessary for the electoral process. Amongst several changes made, the bill provides independent candidates equal access and opportunity to contest at whichever electoral level they prefer.
“As civil societies, we should be rather supporting this great initiative and applauding the law in terms of the Constitutional Law enforcing that the IEC actually does this. Because it then offers a lot more people more opportunity to be able to have their voices heard with regards to how it is that they want to be governed, and it’s something that we really have to celebrate as a country.”
According to reports, the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) expressed concerns regarding the changes made to the bill President Cyril Ramaphosa signed. The IEC said it was under financial pressure to implement the changes made to the account.
“The IEC said its increased financial obligations include changes to the ICT business application, logistics information systems and results systems.”
The Eligibility of Independent Candidates
Despite the financial pressure, the IEC welcomed the bill’s signing into law. Though several changes have been made, the participation of independent candidates in the national and provincial electoral process is the most striking.
Does this mean anyone can be nominated to participate? The short answer is yes. However, they will need to adhere to the criteria and requirements required for eligibility. Amongst the conditions are the nomination process, voter support, the area in question and financial obligations.
White said independent candidates might have a steeper hill to climb regarding the quotas, which may be limiting to some. Therefore, as citizens, we should push to amend the criteria to give them a better chance.
“We as citizens of the country should rather be hoping for and rather urging people to actually participate independently given the fact that a lot of people have lost faith in the election in political parties. People want to find alternative voices that can represent their interests without necessarily having a political party.”
Will Independent Candidates Be Able to Enact Change?
That is the million-dollar question. Will the candidates be able to raise their voices concerning the needs of the people above the political noise of much larger parties?
White said we only need to look at the structure and the way they operate at a local government level to get a better understanding. She added there is a sense that independent politicians need to receive more support from political parties, as they are more likely to serve and support each other on some issues.
“I think this is where the system almost fails because, at the end of the day, the independent is not able to, on [their] own, pass bills. [They] still need the support of all these other political parties that would be sitting with them in Parliament in order to have the proper impact.”
However, she believes that a day will come when they will garner and galvanise enough support to enact the required change in their communities. Until then, White cautions people to consider all the facts when they begin to nominate their candidates.
“I think the country will get there eventually. We have seen a number of protests … People have become much more restless. They want attention, and they want to be attended to. Perhaps that’s where the strength of an independent Member of Parliament would come from … It definitely increases the chances of having a lot more communities being heard having somebody who’s not from a political party sitting in Parliament.”
