A bill that will make it mandatory for unrepresented political parties to register annually or face automatic deregistration has been tabled in Parliament.
According to the Electoral Laws Amendment Bill, only parties registered on the day an election is announced will be allowed to contest that election.
The bill also makes provision for increasing the number of judges on the bench of the Electoral Court to deal with an expected surge of cases over the electoral period.
The Electoral Laws Amendment Bill will make amendments to four existing acts in preparation for the November local government election.
With the high number of political parties in South Africa, the majority of which have no representation in any legislative structure.
This bill will now ensure that parties renew their registration annually, or face it lapsing.
In future, a cut-off date will apply for parties to register to contest an election.
Furthermore, the bill also amends provisions for eligibility to vote, which will include providing a residential address.
In anticipation of more electoral disputes over the election period, the Electoral Court will be bolstered with an increase in the number of judges to be appointed from three to six, which will also make it possible for the court to hold more than one sitting simultaneously.
The ordinary sitting of the court will comprise four judges and one member who is not from the bench.
According to the bill, the appointment of ordinary South Africans for this role will be determined by the Judge President, and no longer on recommendation from the Judicial Service Commission.
The bill also clarifies that objections will only be allowed to the provisionally compiled voters’ roll, while also specifying the authority of the Electoral Commission to handle the objections.
