THE Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) announced that by-elections and local government elections can only be conducted once the country has moved to lockdown Level 1 of the Disaster Management Act.

The current Level 3 restrictions prohibit community gatherings and political party electioneering. The IEC is also prohibited from conducting voting registration drives.

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King Cetshwayo IEC Regional Chairperson, Stella Dlamini, said preparations were still under way for upcoming by-elections.

‘According to the electoral laws, we need to complete registrations weeks before any election,’ said Dlamini. ‘We are now looking to hold by-elections in the first week of March and at the end of March.

She said preparations for local government elections, expected to take place later in the year, were still under way.

‘We are guided by the laws. As things stand, no laws have been amended,’ continued Dlamini. ‘The law stipulates that there must be a local government election every five years. IEC laws make it clear that people need to cast their vote at the voting station, by ticking on the ballot paper.’

She said that, unless the laws are amended, the only option was for ‘in-person’ voting at voting stations.

‘In our by-elections last year, each voting station had an extra official tasked with ensuring there was social distancing and mask-wearing to prevent the spread of Covid-19,’ she said.

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