Big turnout expected - IEC #Elections2019

LONDON — The long queues before the South African Embassy in London before the polls opened this weekend for overseas voting, is a good indication of how enthusiastic overseas voters are about the 8 May elections. According to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), there are 26.7m registered voters for the elections. The latest Ipsos poll puts ANC support at around 61%, with 16% for the DA and 9% for the EFF. The predictions by the Institute for Race Relations differ though. The IRR predicts 54.7% nationally for the ANC, 21.8 % for the DA and 12.2% for the EFF. Both polls see the EFF as the party that will gain the most votes. A higher turnout will favour the ANC, while a lower turnout is better for the opposition. If the voting in London where people turned up despite bad weather is any indication, the turnout in South Africa could be high. I caught up with the Senior Manager of the Electoral Operations of the Independent Electoral Commission, Granville Abrahams at the polling booths in London, who said the commission has learnt from the mistakes of the past and was pleased with how smooth the voting went. - Linda van Tilburg