IEC rejects ANC request for extra time after party misses candidate deadline

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has dismissed claims of special treatment and said no party will be granted extra time to submit candidate lists for the 2026 local government elections after the ANC failed to capture all its candidates before the deadline.

What happened

The deadline for candidate list submissions was last Friday at 5pm. The African National Congress said it had been unable to capture all its candidates in the IEC’s system due to a technical glitch and that it was engaging the IEC to ensure outstanding lists for the 4 November elections are captured.

“The African National Congress has full confidence in the Electoral Commission and in the integrity of the electoral process. We commend the commission for its constructive engagement with all affected parties, and we are working with it to bring these outstanding matters to a close. We are confident they will be resolved,”

IEC response and system availability

The IEC clarified that it has not allowed any party, nor does it intend to allow any party or independent candidate, an additional opportunity to capture beyond the candidate nomination deadline.

The commission also stated that the online candidate nomination system remained available to users throughout the nomination process, including the cut-off date. The IEC said the nomination period officially began on 7 August, and that the system had been opened earlier on 21 June to allow sufficient and uninterrupted use ahead of the deadline.

Consequences

The IEC’s position means the ANC risks being locked out of the 2026 local government elections in any municipality where it failed to submit candidate lists before the official deadline.

Next steps

The IEC noted that matters related to the intricacies of the candidate nomination process would be discussed in the national political liaison committee constituted by parties represented in the National Assembly.