DA loses court battle over rival parties’ one-name election lists
The South African Electoral Court has dismissed a legal challenge by the DA against four rival political parties regarding their use of single-name proportional representation lists. The DA argued the practice was intended to hide candidates from voters, but the court ruled against the party's request to declare the lists unlawful.
Why it matters
This ruling clarifies the rules for candidate disclosure in South African municipal elections and impacts how political parties manage their electoral strategies.
The DA’s bid to stop four political parties from submitting one-name proportional representation lists has been dismissed, after it argued that the practice allowed them to conceal candidates from voters and add names after the election.
Image: Itumeleng English / Independent Newspaper
The Electoral Court has dismissed the DA’s application challenging one-name proportional representation lists submitted by ActionSA, the EFF, the MK Party and GOOD, which the party claimed were designed to hide candidates from voters ahead of the November 4 elections.
The judgment was delivered in Bloemfontein on Friday by Acting Judge Mangcu-Lockwood. The case was heard on October 13.
The DA had approached the court last month, accusing the four parties of deliberately submitting proportional representation (PR) candidate lists containing only one name in municipalities where they are contesting the elections.
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