Pretoria - Political parties registered to contest tomorrow’s general election have between now and midnight to stretch their final electioneering.
Chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), Pansy Tlakula, said reports claiming that political campaigning ended on Monday were misleading.
“There were reports that campaigning ended on Monday. This is not what the law provides. The law provides that no political events shall take place on Voting Day, which means that political campaigning can continue until midnight because voting day is Wednesday, May 7.
“Voting Day is the day proclaimed in the government gazette by the President and the nine Premiers. So for political parties, who want to give a final push between now and midnight, there is nothing prohibiting them to do so,” she said.
With regards to violent protests that have flared up on the eve of the elections, Tlakula said the IEC was working closely with the security cluster and has “put in place measures to ensure that those in [volatile] areas are able to exercise their right to vote”.
The dos and the don’ts at voting stations
Tlakula said the law prohibits a voter to take a photo of the marked ballot.
“No one is allowed to take a photo of his/her marked ballot paper and no one is allowed to reproduce a photo of a marked ballot paper.
“No photos should be taken in the voting booth. Young people should know that they must take photos outside the voting stations.
“We’ve heard in the past that voters were not allowed to wear t-shirts of their political parties while going to voting stations to cast their votes, but the law doesn’t say that. The only people who are not allowed to wear t-shirts of their political parties are party agents and our officials, but voters can wear anything, including t-shirts of their political parties.
“Again, the only activity that is allowed within the boundary of the voting stations is voting. No other activities must take place within the boundaries of the voting stations,” she said. - SAnews.gov.za
