The omission of former President Jacob Zuma’s name or face on the ballot for the upcoming general elections won’t stop MK Party supporters from voting, election analyst Michael Atkins said.
Atkins said the Electoral Commission of South Africa’s (IEC) ruling against Jacob Zuma’s candidacy did not infringe upon the democratic right of MK party supporters to vote for their chosen party.
“I don’t see the decision either way impacting on the formal regular work of the IEC.
“There is no real finger pointing at the IEC, except for the small matter of bias. The commissions position to my mind comes across as clear and reasonable, although the court would have a final say on the matter,” the analyst added.
Atkins said didn’t believe that members and supporters of the MK Party would act in a manner that would undermine the electoral process, as the party had signed a pledge to abide by the electoral laws.
“If there are any transgressions of the electoral act, and if there are any protests that goes beyond the realm of the law then of course we have the electoral code of conduct which the party signed last week, and if it’s found that the party has broken the law, the IEC will be forced to act.
“Clearly they understand the sensitivity of the situation and they have a difficult task but we haven’t seen any indication of the IEC not following the electoral act carefully”.
Atkins said he had full confidence that the IEC would run an honest and transparent election as it had done previously.
The commission and the MK Party have locked horns in the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, over the IEC’s decision to uphold an objection to the former president’s candidacy.
The Electoral Court is expected to hand down its verdict on Tuesday.
The Star