Johannesburg -
The names of candidates to stand for election at Mangaung will be announced once all the nominees had officially responded, the ANC electoral commission said on Thursday.
“We are only going to announce those who have accepted the nominations when we have finished the process of screening the candidates, and know whether they accept or decline,” ANC electoral commission member Tshilidzi Ratshitanga told reporters in Johannesburg.
The process of finalising the nominations, including getting responses from candidates about whether they would accept their nominations, had not yet been completed.
“We will give candidates as much time as possible to consider their options. This is a dynamic process of electing the ANC. We can't rush it. If we rush it for the convenience of the media we will be short-circuiting it,” he said.
“We really cannot rush this process, because we will be doing a disservice to an important process of the ANC.”
In addition to getting responses from the nominees about whether they would accept, the commission had to make sure they were members in good standing.
Ratshitanga said once a list was compiled of nominees who had accepted, it would first be distributed to ANC branches.
“We cannot announce that at a press conference, we have to announce it to the branches first.”
However, the process could continue into the conference as delegates could nominate candidates from the floor. If a floor nomination received the support of 25 percent of delegates, and the nominee accepted it, he or she would be added to the ballot.
Asked what would happen if someone accepted nominations for two positions, Ratshitanga said they would stand for both positions in separate elections.
“We have two elections separately to allow for one outcome, then move onto another outcome.”
In the event of three people contesting one position and none receiving more than 50 percent of the vote, there would be a run-off between the top two.
The ANC's national executive committee and its top six leaders would be chosen during two separate elections. Ratshitanga said this would allow for someone who ran unsuccessfully for a top six position to stand for a position on the NEC. - Sapa