The bill, passed by the National Assembly on Thursday, will make it possible for independent candidates to stand in the next provincial and national elections, but civil society groups and many opposition parties said that the odds would be stacked against such candidates.
The ANC has used its majority in the National Assembly to ram through the contentious Electoral Amendment Bill despite vociferous opposition from other parties and a throng of civil society bodies.
After the EFF described civil society as ‘stooges and puppets’ and the governing ANC delivered a dose of historical revisionism, the Electoral Amendment Bill was passed by the House of Assembly on Thursday, with 232 votes for, 98 against and three abstentions.
The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs met on Friday to discuss outstanding issues and adopt an A-list regarding the Bill.The committee has been tasked to amend the Electoral Act 73 of 1998.