Since Voting Stations opened for Special Voting on Monday 27 May, the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) have been inundated with queries, complaints and allegations about the voting and counting process, raised by our members, party agents, our supporters and voters. We want to assure you that we have heard you, we are attending to the matters you have raised, and will provide feedback in due course.
The ACDP’s National Executive Committee (NEC) has appointed an accomplished independent elections analyst to spearhead our objections to IEC in respect of the results. This is a project that will take at least a few weeks, and may endure for a few months. Members, party agents, and voters in your communities may be asked to submit more information, evidence and/or affidavits relating to their experiences.
The objections process is prescribed by legislation and regulations, and requires, inter alia, that objections be substantiated; that we detail the relief sought; and that such objections be lodged with the IEC before the 48 hour deadline of 9pm on Friday 31 May. Once again with this election, this deadline is not achievable, and given the seriousness of the objections we are compiling, the widespread nature of the problems we have witnessed since Monday, 27 May, and the burden of substantiation that we must meet, we have appealed to the IEC in the NPLC meeting this morning, that the IEC should be more lenient in granting condonation for late submission of our objections. All political parties in the NPLC meeting supported our request.
The CEO of the IEC is currently approaching the Commission with our request and we anticipate a favourable response.
Given the substantial and numerous nature of the objections that will still be submitted by the ACDP and many other interested and affected parties in coming weeks, we in this same NPLC meeting, rejected the declaration by the SADC Electoral Observer Mission (SEOM) yesterday 31 May, that these elections are free and fair.
This declaration is premature, inaccurate, lacking credibility and therefore invalid and disrespectful of the experiences of millions of South Africans since 27 May who tried to cast their vote, who worked during the voting and counting process, and/or who have witnessed multiple systemic failures that have dogged this election. Many political parties in the NPLC meeting agreed with the ACDP in this regard.
We have not excluded the possibility that we could reconsider our view on this matter, but it can only be after all objections have been dealt with by the IEC and even possibly the Electoral Court.
