GARDEN ROUTE | KAROO NEWS - Voters will be able to take a peek today, Thursday 30 September, at the list of parties registered to contest in the local government elections on 1 November.
According to the IEC provincial officer, Michael Hendrickse, the list will be made available on the IEC website today.
The closing date for submitting nominations of candidates for party lists, ward candidates representing parties and independent ward candidates, was 21 September.
The candidate nomination process will be concluded tomorrow, 1 October, with the issue of certificates to party list and ward candidates.
Parties and independent candidates contesting the elections will gather to sign the Electoral Code of Conduct in venues across the 30 municipalities in the Western Cape, which requires that all registered parties and candidates adhere to certain standards of behaviour, specifically during the campaigning period. Parties will be binding their PR and ward candidates as well as office-bearers and members of political parties.
A provisional total of 95 political parties will contest local government elections across the province.
"The final lists consist of a culmination of parties across the Western Cape who made use of the opportunity to amend or resubmit their candidates list, following a decision by the Constitutional Court. The public will now finally know who the contesting parties and candidates are," said Hendrickse.
The provincial local government council structures consist of one metropolitan council (Cape Town) and 24 local municipalities within five district municipalities, including the Garden Route District Municipality.
Across all municipalities in the Western Cape, 844 seats are up for contestation - 406 ward seats and 438 proportional representative (party) seats.
Voter's roll
Hendrickse said the certification of the voter's roll took place on Sunday 26 September. "We are pleased with the overall increase for the voter's roll in the Western Cape, from 3 035 389 as at 15 May 2021 to 3 111 930 currently," he commented.
In George, a total of 106 525 voters are registered (women 57 814; men 48 711), of which the largest margin (24 046) falls in the age group of 30 to 39 years. Females in this age category totals 12 997 - the highest of all age and gender groups. In the bracket for young voters, of which many will be first-time voters, the breakdown is as follows: 18 to 19 years (845) and 20 to 29 years (13 940).
For the rest of the Southern Cape region the figures are as follows: Hessequa 33 270 (women 18 126; men 15 144); Mossel Bay 64 310 (women 34 723; men 29 587); Oudtshoorn 52 233 (women 28 514; men 23 719); Bitou 30 863 (women 16 479; men 14 384); Knysna 42 790 (women 23 046; men 19 744).
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