About 52 political parties and five independent candidates that will be contesting the elections in Gauteng have signed the pledge to adhere to the Electoral Code of Conduct.
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) hosted the ceremony at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni on Tuesday.
Speaking at the ceremony, Gauteng Provincial Electoral Officer Thabo Masemola said preparations were under way for the 2024 May 29 national and provincial elections.
He stated the process of printing ballots has already started.
In Gauteng, 1,466 candidates will be contesting for 80 seats at the provincial legislature.
Masemola said electoral materials were being delivered and distributed to the provincial warehouse to ensure that they were ahead of time.
According to Masemola, Gauteng is the highest in terms of people having registered to vote with about 6.5 million confirmed voters.
The province is expected to have 2,000 voting stations by next month. However, the voters’ roll is confirmed to have surpassed the 27 million mark.
“The country has never experienced such level of registration since the voters' roll was established in 1999."
By signing the code of conduct, participants assent to ensure that they promote free and fair elections for all.
This includes candidates refraining from carrying weapons and bribing voters to convince them otherwise and also not using language that would incite violence against others.
Failure to uphold the principles will result in the party or independent candidates having their votes destroyed or registration suspended.
This is despite the commission previously not having such measures. It is believed that this is due to the elections being one of the hottest of all time.
Many parties said, “2024 is our 1994”.
IOL Politics