TESSA DOOMS | Proposed Electoral Amendment Bill does not protect and enhance right to vote
Parliament risks producing an unconstitutional bill that imperils viability of 2024 elections
In June 2020, the Constitutional Court declared the current South African Electoral Act unconstitutional because it does not have provisions that allow independent candidates to contest elections at national and provincial levels, thus disenfranchising people who do not wish to belong to political parties.
One of the fundamental rights, responsibilities and powers afforded to people in a democracy is the opportunity to vote for public representatives. During the SA liberation struggle, the hope for freedom became tied to and vested into the right for all to vote as the ultimate symbol that freedom had been achieved. Prior to 1994, only white people had political rights to vote or be voted for...
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