Despite official communication telling the secessionist party that digital signatures would be accepted, the organisation has changed its mind, and barred the party from contesting
The Referendum Party (RP) is challenging the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) over its refusal to accept digital signatures.
The Electoral Amendment Act, 1 of 2023, required independent candidates and unrepresented parties to collect thousands of signatures from registered voters. However, the IEC did not specify how these signatures should be collected for ten months after the Act was signed into law.
After receiving confirmation in writing from a senior IEC official on 16 August 2023 that digital signatures were acceptable, the RP collected the required number of digital signatures.
On 4 December 2023, the Constitutional Court removed the signature requirements for independent candidates but kept them for unregistered parties. The IEC failed to finalize regulations for signatures, despite announcing its intention to do so.
The IEC announced on 26 February 2024 that it would not accept digital signatures and demanded approximately 14,000 physical signatures from the RP within eight days. The RP's legal team has requested that the IEC reconsider its decision, stating that there is no legal basis for rejecting digital signatures.
If the IEC does not change its stance, the RP plans to approach the Electoral Court urgently. Several other parties are prepared to join this action. The RP argues that the IEC's refusal to accept digital signatures infringes on their constitutional rights and creates an unjust logistical barrier to contesting the elections.
