Xolani Khumalo
The United Democratic Movement will approach the Electoral Court over the omission of its ward councillor candidates in Buffalo City Metro in the Eastern Cape from the November 4 election lists.
The party argues that the IEC has excluded some of its candidates from the final list released by the electoral commission on Tuesday.
The UDM is the second major party to approach the Electoral Court due to candidate list grievances following the African National Congress.
The ANC lodged an appeal after failing to capture more than 180 candidates in the IEC system before the set deadline. The party maintained that the missed deadline was due to a technical glitch in the system.
Nonetheless, the Electoral Court has maintained a stern authority after dismissing the ANC’s appeal to have the IEC grant them an opportunity to recapture their list.
The UDM has gone second in line at the Electoral Court after claiming that the IEC excluded some candidates from the list they captured during registration.
Party deputy president Nqabayomzi Kwankwa says court papers will be filed next week, challenging the Electoral Commission’s decision as some of its candidates are missing from the final lists.
He confirmed that the party is seeking legal clarity over the discrepancies.
“Their systems have a lot of technicalities and technical difficulties at times, especially during the capturing process. We have played our part and we did what we were supposed to do.”
“They have been able to look at our case, and when we go to court we are going to be vindicated,” said Nkwankwa.
Listen to the audio of Nkwankwa below…
