South Africa’s seventh general election since the advent of multi-racial democracy in 1994, is set for Wednesday, the 29th of May.
The election is taking place under different circumstances from past elections in the history of the country, with some describing the national and provincial elections as a watershed moment for South Africa.
TVC News Senior Political Correspondent, Ayodele Ozugbakun who is now in Durban to monitor the election, reports, that there is a new electoral law in place, as South Africans prepare for the 2024 general elections.
What does the new guidelines mean for the ballot papers and the choice of voters?
The new electoral law stipulates that voters will receive three ballot papers, instead of the two they got in the past elections.
These are two national ballots for the regional and compensatory ballots and one provincial ballot paper.
The first national ballot has a list of political parties that are contesting the 200 National Assembly seats across the country.
The second is the regional ballot in each of the nine provinces.
It is for political parties and independent candidates in the nine provinces contesting the other 200 seats in the National Assembly.
In total, 400 seats are up for grabs in the National Assembly poll.
The third is the provincial ballot for the provincial legislatures from the nine provinces.
This means that voters will cast three ballots, two for the National Assembly and one for the provincial legislature, creating the possibility of strategic voting.
Voters can choose between different parties or a party and an independent candidate at the national level.
It will also be possible for the people to vote for one party at the national level and for another party or an independent candidate at the provincial level.
At a meeting with international observers, the Provincial Electoral officer in Durban spoke on measures put in place by the electoral commission to ensure a transparent exercise.
The amended electoral system also allows independent candidates to stand at both the national and provincial levels for the first time.
The new system is therefore a combination of party lists and individual candidates.
The new lists for the provincial legislatures look the same as that of the national or regional lists.
The options on the national ballot paper increased from 48 political parties in 2019 to 52 in 2024.
In 1994, 19 political parties participated in the first national election in the Rainbow nation.
The number of political parties has increased gradually in the past 30 years.
Tuesday, the eve of the election, is the second day dedicated for people with special needs to vote.
A total of 1.6 million voters with special needs are expected to participate in the exercise, while 27 million citizens will vote in the main election on Wednesday.
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