#FirstThingFirst - New And Small Parties Disappointed At IEC Requirement

Change Starts Now, led by Roger Jardine , announced last night that they are pulling out as contenders for this year’s elections because they were unable to meet the IEC's requirement. The Constitutional Court’s ruling on Electoral Amendment Act stands, whereby a provision was made , requiring independent candidates to obtain 15% of the votes needed to win a seat in the province where they intended to register. The court ruled that independent candidates needed 1 000 signatures of registered voters to register with the IEC. The team deliberated on whether this is a barrier, as suggested by new and small parties, or a reasonable filter to ensure the intentions of the parties are genuine.