By The Breakfast Team
The Institute for Election Management Services in Africa says the IEC has no power to instruct the DA to apologise to Good Party leader Patricia de Lille. This after the electoral body ordered the DA to apologise for claiming that De Lille was “corrupt” in a telemarketing election campaign.
The institute’s Terry Tselane says the IEC should have referred the matter to the electoral court. The Electoral court which is run only during an election period is the only body with power to sanction political parties.
. @terrytselane from the Institute of Election Management Services in Africa says the IEC has no powers to order the DA to apologise to @PatriciaDeLille, the matter should have been referred to the IEC #BreakfastWithDavid pic.twitter.com/hQgoveCxd7
— Kaya 959 Talk (@KayaFMTalk) April 23, 2019
Last week, the IEC found that the Democratic Alliance breached the Electoral Act and the Electoral Code of Conduct by instructing its call center operatives to tell voters that De Lille was fired from the party. In response, the DA said it would it would go to court to set aside that decision.
Speaking to David O’Sullivan, Tselane says, it is the electoral court that can impose sanctions following a full investigation
De Lille resigned as both mayor of the City of Cape Town and as a member of the Democratic Alliance in 2018 to form a new political party, Good, which is contesting in the 2019 national election taking place on May 8.
She was the founder and the leader of the Independent Democrats, until the party amalgamated with the Democratic Alliance in 2010.
The Independent Democrats helped the DA gain power in the City of Cape Town through a coalition following the 2011 local government election.
