The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has confirmed that the application for registration of the Islamic State of Africa (ISA) as a political party has been rejected.
IEC REJECTS ISLAMIC STATE OF AFRICA’S APPLICATION
IEC spokesperson Kate Bapela said the chief electoral officer (CEO), Sy Mamabolo, rejected the application by ISA on three grounds:
- The first is that the party failed to meet the threshold of prescribed details of registered voters who support the formation of the party. The prescribed details are the signatures of 300 registered voters, together with their full names and signatures.
- Secondly, the party published the notice of its application in a newspaper which enjoys circulation only in parts of the municipal area. The publication in only some parts of the municipal area is not sufficient to create awareness of the application.
“The purpose of publishing the application is to alert persons in the geographic area linked to the sphere of registration the party is applying for. In the present case, the area of eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality,” Bapela explained.
- The third reason is that the IEC CEO received over 200 objections from individuals and organisations who argued that the constitution of ISA espouses “the intention to develop policies based on Sharia law”.
“It is the submission of the objectors that part of ISA’s constitution is ‘antithetical to the secular and inclusive nature of the principles underpinning the South African constitutional order and registering ISA would cause serious offence to a section of the population,” she added.
PARTY CAN APPEAL DECISION
Furthermore, Bapela said the Islamic State of Africa may, within 30 days, appeal the decision of the CEO not to register it as a party to the IEC.
DO YOU SUPPORT THE IEC’S DECISION TO REJECT THE ISLAMIC STATE OF AFRICA’S APPLICATION?
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