Bring on the voters - IEC
2005-11-17 16:31
Pretoria - The Independent Electoral Commission is ready to hold the municipal elections on March 1, said chairperson Brigalia Bam on Thursday.
"We are ready, absolutely ready as the IEC," she said shortly after the announcement of the poll date by Provincial and Local Government Minister Sydney Mufamadi.
Bam said about 20.7 million South Africans had registered as voters and the IEC was confident not many were outstanding.
The poll will be on a Wednesday, but it would be up to the cabinet to decide whether or not to declare it a public holiday, Mufamadi said at a separate news conference.
Bam said the IEC "almost expects" that the day would be a public holiday.
Proclamation will set wheels in motion
Mufamadi would not divulge when he planned to proclaim the election date in the Government Gazette, which would determine time frames for the registration of political parties and their candidates.
The voters roll would close at midnight on the day of the proclamation.
Deputy chief electoral officer Norman du Plessis said the IEC would need about two months to prepare for the poll from the day of proclamation - "the first week in January at the latest".
The closing date for political party candidate nominations would be around mid-January, said Du Plessis.
The IEC would need about a month for the printing of ballot papers, with distribution starting about three or four days before election day.
- SAPA