Five hundred and forty-six political parties are contesting the local government elections in South Africa (SA). This is up from 325 parties that contested the polls in 2021.

This number was confirmed by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) on Wednesday during a media briefing on the outcomes of the candidate nomination process.

The IEC also revealed that 49 parties out of 61 that are registered at municipal level will be contesting the local elections.

IEC Chairperson Mosotho Moepya gives a breakdown:

“Three hundred and forty-five political parties are registered at national level, and 227 of those have nominated candidates, representing 66% of the registered parties. At the provincial level, 36 parties are registered, with 33 contesting, representing 92%.”

–ChannelAfrica–