Johnathan Paoli
Former Arts and Culture Director-General Roger Jardine’s Change Starts Now (CSN) party has confirmed it will not be contesting this year’s national and provincial elections.
In a statement released on Thursday night, Jardine said that a recent Constitutional Court ruling was part of the reason for this decision, specifically a dismissal of an application aimed at challenging the provisions surrounding the submission of candidate lists ahead of the national polls.
Jardine’s three-month old party said this meant new parties would face a prejudicial and logistical timetable to qualify to get on the ballot, and he is among one of the first to admit that it was a gargantuan task.
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC)’s requirements that speak to signatures, candidate lists, and registration fees for parties to get on the ballot will ensure that only large, well-organized and well-funded parties would be able to perform, he said.
Jardine
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