Motlanthe proclaims April 22 as voting day

President Kgalema Motlanthe on Thursday proclaimed April 22 as the date for the national elections, the presidency said.

This ended speculation on whether he would await the outcome of a court ruling on expatriates’ right to vote before making the poll date official.

The presidency said: “President Motlanthe has today issued a proclamation declaring the 22nd of April as the date on which elections will be held.”

Motlanthe announced the poll date on Tuesday, but said he would proclaim it later.

It was unclear whether he would do so before early March, when the Constitutional Court is expected to pronounce on a high court ruling that citizens abroad should be given back the right to vote .

The Freedom Front Plus immediately accused the president of showing contempt for the Constitutional Court by proclaiming the poll date before the court has spoken.

“President Motlanthe’s proclamation of the election is now creating confusion and uncertainty with the public and South African citizens living abroad who wish to vote,” FF+ leader Pieter Mulder said.

He added that it “speaks of contempt of the Constitutional Court as South Africa’s highest constitutional body”.

The FF+ and the Democratic Alliance have both gone to court to challenge provisions in the Electoral Act that exclude most expatriates from casting their ballots in the election.

On Monday, the FF+ scored a victory in the Pretoria High Court when it ruled South Africans living abroad temporarily be allowed to vote in the upcoming general elections and referred the matter to the Constitutional Court for confirmation.

But on Tuesday, the same court rejected an urgent application by the party to prevent Motlanthe from proclaiming the election date, paving
the way for the president to proceed.

The Constitutional Court has set down the matter for March 4 and, if necessary, March 6.

The ANC is widely seen winning the election, but faces an unprecedented challenge from the new Congress of the People (Cope) party.

Cope could gain enough votes to deny the two-thirds parliamentary majority which enables the ANC to easily push through changes to the Constitution.

ANC leader Zuma, who enjoys the support of trade unions and the South African Communist Party, is expected to become president despite revived graft charges, raising the prospect for increased political uncertainty.

Concerns that the hotly contested election could be marred by violence have been raised by a flare-up this month in Zuma’s Zulu heartland of KwaZulu-Natal, a key area for the ANC and the locally strong Inkatha Freedom Party.