PICTURE: FREDLIN ADRIAAN Pressure on SA’s electoral system is growing as electoral politics become increasingly competitive. The national and provincial elections in 2019 will pose a huge test for the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC), because the ANC will fight hard to retain Gauteng and other key provinces.Even the local elections scheduled for August involve big metropolitan authorities that command significant financial resources. Smaller municipalities, too, provide crucial economic opportunities for local elites. There is a lot to gain, and little to lose, from seeking improper advantage in closely contested elections.Democratic elections require protection of citizens’ right to vote, an entitlement to run for office, secret ballots and accurate counting and reporting. But they also demand less clear-cut conditions such as a "free and fair atmosphere".To judge by opinion polls, most citizens believe elections are currently free. Only one in five respondents to an Afrobarometer ...
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