Million plus ready to vote
Wednesday will be the day for the country’s important local government elections and it woud appeal that all involved is ready to go
At least 1.4 million people in Tshwane are registered to vote this week in the country’s most hotly-contested election since 1994.
According to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), there are 107 wards in the metro – two more than in the 2011 local government poll.
The three strongest parties in Pretoria are expected to be the African National Congress, the Democratic Alliance and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).
The EFF is predicted to topple the Freedom Front Plus in its first time as a participant part in municipal elections.
In addition to ward councillors to be elected, some 20 political parties are contesting the proportional representation election in the metro.
It is important to remember that metro council voters get two votes each.
One is for a proportional representative for a political part contesting the council and one ward vote for an individual candidate contesting a specific ward.
There are several rules that have to be adhered to on the day of voting and these include:
– No language which could provoke violence;
– No intimidation of voters or candidates;
– No publishing of false information about candidates or parties;
– No inducement or offer of rewards to anyone to vote for a particular party;
– No destruction, removing or defacing of posters;
– No carrying arms to political meetings, marches or rallies;
– No abusing of a position of power, privilege or influence to influence the outcome of the elections.
Voting on Wednesday takes place from 07.00 to 19.00. No one may be admitted t a voting station after it has closed.
Voters already in the queue to vote by 19.00 must be allowed to cast their ballot. The IEC may also extend the voting hours of a busy polling station until midnight.
Under election regulations, nobody can produce a photographic image of a marked ballot. This is a criminal offence.
No visuals are allowed inside the boundaries of a voting station without the permission of the affected voter and the presiding officer.
The IEC however encourages voters to take a “selfie” outside the voting station and share it on Twitter or Facebook with the hashtags #Ivotedlocal2016 #ProudlySA #InkthumbSA to show that you have made your mark.
Nationwide, the police will on Wednesday deploy 100 000 SA Police Service officers to secure the municipal elections.
Of the 100 000, just over half will be stationed at the IRC’s 22 000 countrywide polling stations.
Acting national police commissioner Lieutenant-General Khomotso Phalane gave the assurance that the deployment of the 100 000 policemen would not disrupt normal policing.
The IEC’s national results operation centre was last week officially opened at the Tshwane Events Centre from where the final results will be declared and announced.
It is believed that the final results of the local government elections 2016 will be available within a week after the vote.
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