Pretoria – Voting stations around the country have closed after millions of South Africans took part in what many have billed as the most exciting election since 1994.
The 2014 general election, which took place as the country celebrates 20 years of freedom, got off to a smooth start at most voting stations on Wednesday at 7am. Many citizens arrived before sunrise to take their place in various queues to cast their ballot in the fifth general election since the birth of democracy.
The majority of voting stations opened on time, with very few having experienced delays. The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) had earlier in the day described proceedings at the country’s 22 263 voting stations as having gone “smoothly, peacefully and briskly” overall. This is despite concerns that proceedings might be interrupted after incidents on Tuesday at some of the so-called hotspots.
IEC chair Pansy Tlakula has expressed satisfaction with the voter turnout, saying South Africans, including the youth, have shown immense interest in the historic election.
Over 25.3 million voters are registered for this year’s elections. The IEC had printed and distributed 62.8 million ballot papers. The national ballot paper is the longest to date for an election in South Africa, containing 29 contesting parties. This is three more than those that contested the 2009 general election.
While polls closed at 9pm, those still in queues at that time were afforded an opportunity to cast their ballot.
The IEC has expressed satisfaction with the day’s proceedings, saying it is ready to conduct a fair and credible counting process. The national Results Operations Centre (ROC) in Pretoria, South Africa’s capital, is equipped with 450 computers and wireless network to accommodate more than 200 concurrent users.
There is a ROC in all the country’s nine provinces, where the results will stream in until the official results are declared.
Overseas and special votes
Voting in the 2014 general election kicked off with South Africans living abroad casting their ballots on April 30 and May 1. This was the first time South Africans living abroad could participate in the country’s elections.
Approximately 27 000 voters had successfully applied to vote at 116 South African missions overseas. The total number of votes cast will only be known once the final tally is completed.
On Monday, Tlakula said just over 12 000 ballots had so far arrived by courier at Election House in Centurion. The ballots are being reconciled against the list of voters, who successfully notified the Chief Electoral Officer of their intention to vote outside the country.
For South Africans living within the country but could not, for a sound reason, vote on Wednesday, special votes were cast on Monday, May 5 and Tuesday, May 6. The process was open to those who had successfully applied to the IEC to either be visited at home by electoral officials, or to vote at the voting district where they are registered.
Qualification criteria for home visits include physical infirmity, disability or pregnancy. Tlakula on Monday said just under 400 000 voters had successfully informed the Chief Electoral Officer of their intention to cast a special vote.
Special voting took place in all but 3 593 of the country’s voting districts, where no special votes had been applied for. – SAnews.gov.za
