115 South African political parties to participate in 2024 parliamentary elections

115 South African political parties to participate in 2024 parliamentary elections

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of South Africa, the country’s electoral body, said on Saturday that a total of 115 parties have submitted applications to contest seats in the National Assembly, Xinhua reported.

All the 14 parties currently represented in the National Assembly have submitted applications to contest seats in the National Assembly and at least one region, the IEC said in a statement.

A total of 101 parties that do not have seats in the National Assembly or provincial legislatures had also submitted applications by the deadline, while 16 applications were received from independent candidates who were not nominated by a political party, according to the IEC.

The IEC had required political parties and independent candidates to submit nomination requirements by 5:00 p.m. local time on March 8.

“Work is currently underway to verify the submissions for compliance,” the IEC said, adding that political parties and independent candidates who fail to comply with the law will be disqualified.

South Africa’s national and provincial elections will be conducted on May 29.