We recently reported that the DA, Freedom Front Plus, Inkatha Freedom Party and others were taking the IEC to the Constitutional Court regarding the rights of ex-pats to vote in the upcoming elections.
The very good news for those South Africans now based abroad is that the Court ruled late yesterday (12 March) that registered voters living overseas may vote at National level in the April 22nd elections.
The deadline for applying for a special vote has been extended until 27 March to allow for the ruling. Applications should be made at South African missions in the country where the applicants are residing and will be voting.
It is important to note that if you are not already registered on the voters’ role you will not be able to apply for the special vote.The court would not make a ruling on the right to register abroad, saying that issue must first go through the right channels.
If you would like to check whether you are registered to vote go here.
Special voting will take place on 15 April 2009, while those of us in South Africa will cast our ballots on 22 April. Expats will only be allowed to participate in voting at National and not Provinicial level.
A spokesperson for the IEC said that they foresee no major problems in carrying out the necessary administrative tasks required to adhere to the court’s ruling.
Contact the IEC for any further information, or download the required documentation here.
