PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa should not sign the Electoral Amendment Bill into law when it lands on his desk as it goes against the spirit of the Constitution.
This was the call by the Moral Generation Movement, arguing that the bill would not achieve the will of the polls in its current form.
The bill, passed in the National Assembly late last month, was now heading to the National Council of Provinces. If adopted, as expected, it would go to Ramaphosa for him to sign it.
The bill was roundly rejected by opposition parties in the National Assembly when it was tabled, but adopted through a vote of ANC MPs majority and the EFF.
Opposition parties lamented the bill, saying it had put unfair restrictions on independent candidates.
Although it was designed to give them an opportunity to run for state power, parties said this had disadvantaged independent candidates. And this by demanding more signatures for independence in order for them to contest as well as the number of votes they would need to get a seat in the National Assembly.
The movement, in a statement, said this did not reflect the will of the people. It claimed that these flaws were an indication that there was no proper consultation on the ground.
“In the current amendments, the will of the people is not protected by both authenticity and fidelity. There is no direct link between the candidate and constituency, in order to marry permanently the direct and clear will of the people and their elected representatives,” said the movement.
It said that a candidate was independent of political parties but not of the people they represented.
It further said some testified, during the state capture inquiry how MPs betrayed the people they represented in the National Assembly with their conduct.
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“We are witnessing the same disaster in municipal councils that are led by coalitions. The chaos benefits political parties at the expense of millions of people. To the president, your excellency, do not sign this bill in its present form. Allow a truly broad-based democratic process to unfold to allow the people to shout ‘elethu’.”
