The Electoral Commission wishes to reiterate that it fully supports the Political Party Funding Act (Act 6 of 2018) and is ready to implement the legislation once the President announces its implementation date.
The funding of political parties is a key aspect of all modern multi-party democracies and the drafting and approval of the Act by Parliament was a major step towards regulating this space and bringing South Africa into line with best international practice.
Since the drafting and signing into law of the Act, the Electoral Commission has been preparing for its implementation. Among the work already undertaken by the Electoral Commission includes:
• The drafting of regulation including evaluating over 4 000 written submissions and conducting public hearings into the regulations in August 2019
• The establishment of a Party Funding Unit within the Electoral Commission to administer and enforce the various aspects of the legislation and regulations
• The development of an on-line business application for political parties and donors to make electronic declarations of donations made and received
• Training of political party representatives on the use of the app is currently underway as well as testing of the app by end user
Once a decision is made regarding the implementation date, the Electoral Commission will move to the final phase of its preparation plan which includes implementing a comprehensive stakeholder engagement, education and communication campaign.
This is intended to ensure wide familiarity and knowledge of the provisions of the Act and regulations by all affected stakeholders along with fund-raising initiatives among corporate and other entities for the Multi-Party Democracy Fund.
In working together with political parties, business associations and civil society over the past two years to prepare for implementation, some areas of potential clarification and enhancement in the legislation have come to light.
This includes the probable impact of any amendments to the Electoral Act in respect of independent candidates in national and provincial elections. Therefore, as it with any law, the Act will be subject of refinements born out of the realities of implementation. However, these do not directly affect the implementation or effectiveness of the Act.
ISSUED BY THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION
Ensuring free and fair elections
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