IEC extends ANC election candidate relief to 32 other political parties

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has extended relief to 32 political parties affected by a Constitutional Court ruling on the African National Congress’s (ANC) candidate nominations for the 2026 Local Government Elections.

IEC Chairperson Mosotho Moepya announced the decision during a media briefing in Pretoria on Friday, saying the move was necessary to uphold fairness and protect the constitutional requirement for free and fair elections.

The decision follows a Constitutional Court order directing the IEC to include 181 ANC candidates who had not been included on the party’s final candidate lists. These comprise 51 ward candidates and 130 proportional representation candidates across six municipalities.

Moepya said excluding other parties that found themselves in the same position would undermine the principle of equal treatment in the electoral process.

“The Commission’s view is that it would be irrational and offensive to the principle of parity of treatment to exclude parties similarly situated to the ANC,” he said.

The IEC identified the 32 parties after conducting compliance checks. According to the Commission, the parties had nominated candidates who met the relevant requirements and paid their election deposits but had failed to submit their final candidate lists.

Their intended participation covers 121 municipalities nationwide, involving metropolitan, local and district council ballots.

However, the IEC found that 13 other parties did not qualify for the same relief because they had failed to meet the requirements for lawful candidate submissions. These included outstanding election deposit obligations and failure to meet voter registration requirements in the municipalities they intended to contest.

33 parties face shortened compliance process

The IEC will contact the 32 parties to establish whether they still intend to participate in the elections scheduled for 4 November.

Parties that confirm their participation will be given an opportunity to complete outstanding candidate nomination requirements. Where necessary, they may also supplement or substitute candidates whose names appear on multiple lists.

The Commission will subsequently issue candidature certificates to eligible candidates.

Moepya said the process would be conducted within a shortened timeframe and would be limited to the 33 parties affected by the developments, including the ANC.

He added that the IEC did not expect the changes to affect the election date, although the ruling had significantly disrupted its logistical preparations.

IEC to print 33 million ballots

The extension of the court order has increased the Commission’s ballot printing requirements to approximately 33 million ballots.

Of that total, about 27 million had already been printed, while a further 6.6 million remained outstanding.

The additional printing requirements are linked to the changes arising from the court proceedings, particularly the six municipalities affected by the ANC’s appeal.

Moepya said the IEC had deliberately delayed printing ballots for those municipalities until the court had delivered its judgment, meaning no printing costs had been incurred for the affected ballots before the ruling.

The Commission will now have to complete the remaining logistical arrangements within a significantly reduced period to accommodate the changes.

Moepya reaffirmed the IEC’s commitment to respecting court decisions while ensuring that all political parties are treated fairly and consistently.

He said the decision to extend relief was made solely to advance the constitutional principle of free and fair elections and ensure that parties in comparable circumstances received equal treatment.