Durban — By law, the election results must be declared within seven days after an election, and the official election results will be announced by the IEC.
The IEC declaration of results is a statutory requirement that formally ends the election. The process will then shift to the National Assembly.
Following the declaration of election results, members for the National Assembly are designated by the Electoral Commission, and the lists are handed by the commission to the Chief Justice of South Africa, who then hands them over to Parliament through the Secretary of Parliament.
The Constitution in Section 51(1) allows a maximum of 14 days before the National Assembly must sit. The chief justice determines the date and publishes it in the Government Gazette.
Before Members of the National Assembly perform their functions in the Assembly, they must swear or affirm faithfulness to the Republic and obedience to the Constitution, in accordance with Schedule 2 to the Constitution.
SA’s president is the last to be elected by the House because the Assembly must be constituted first in order to exercise its power to elect the President. The Chief Justice also presides over the election of the President.
The election of the president, who is chosen among the Members of the Assembly, is conducted by the chief justice.
Sunday Tribune