The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the way elections have been and will be conducted worldwide, and South Africa is no exception. In response to the pandemic and the implementation of lockdown to prevent its spread, the Electoral Commission (IEC) approached the Electoral Court. The Electoral Court ruled that the by-elections be postponed to a later date despite the infringement to the 90 days legislated period for the filling of councilor vacancies. The Electoral Court did so by granting the IEC an extension beyond the window period for by-elections that were affected by Covid-19. All the scheduled by-elections and associated activities including voter registration were postponed. Click on the link below to download the pdf report.
Submission to the Inquiry into Ensuring Free and Fair Local Government Elections
