Cape Town - The ANC has confirmed that it has withdrawn its application to force the IEC to reopen the registration of its candidates pending the outcome of the Constitutional Court.
The ruling party filed papers yesterday, in the electoral court to try to force the electoral body to shift the deadline to register candidates after the ANC could not register its candidates in 35 municipalities.
However, hours later the party withdrew the application.
ANC national spokesperson Pule Mabe confirmed today, that they withdrew their application pending the conclusion of the Constitutional Court application.
This comes after the IEC went to the apex court to ask it to postpone the elections from October 27 to February next year.
This was in line with the panel report of retired deputy chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke.
Moseneke had found that it would not be conducive to hold free and fair elections in October this year.
This was due to among others, Covid-19 restrictions.
Mabe said the party had gone to the electoral court to protect thousands of people who would not be able to vote.
“We brought this application to protect the rights of hundreds of thousands of citizens who will be deprived of the right to vote for a candidate of their choice as a result of the inability of the party of their choice to register its candidates.
“As a majority in government at national, provincial and local level, and a leader of society, the ANC has a broader responsibility to protect, strengthen and deepen our system of multiparty democracy, a system which constitutes one of the foundational provisions of our Constitution,” Mabe said.
“Accordingly, in view of the fact that the matter is before the Constitutional Court, the ANC has decided to withdraw its application and to await the judgment of the court,” Mabe said.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
Political Bureau