Party says it will approach Constitutional Court after Electoral Court dismissed its bid to force IEC to re-open candidate registration.
JOHANNESBURG — The African National Congress (ANC) has confirmed it will appeal the Electoral Court ruling at the Constitutional Court after failing to register 181 candidates in six municipalities.
The party missed the IEC deadline for candidate registration and approached the Electoral Court to compel the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) to re-open the registration portal.
The Electoral Court dismissed the ANC’s application on Tuesday, ruling that the IEC acted within the law and cannot be forced to re-open registration for a single party.
RESPONSE FROM LUTHULI HOUSE
In a statement, the ANC said it respects the Electoral Court ruling but believes the matter raises constitutional issues that warrant the attention of the apex court.
“The ANC will appeal the Electoral Court ruling in the IEC matter at the Constitutional Court,” the party said.
The ANC argues that its failure to register 181 candidates across six municipalities was due to technical glitches and administrative challenges on the IEC’s online candidate nomination system.
IMPLICATIONS
If the appeal fails, the ANC will contest the upcoming by-elections in the six affected municipalities without 181 of its candidates — a significant blow in what are expected to be tightly contested wards.
The IEC has maintained that all parties were given sufficient time to register and that the rules must apply equally.
The Constitutional Court will now have to decide whether to hear the matter urgently.
This is a developing story. AfriMerits Live will update as more details emerge.
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