ANC’s Ballot Win Now Extends to 32 Other Parties as IEC Races to Prepare Elections

17 October 2026 · Reporting based on official statements and independently published sources dated 16 October 2026.

A court order with consequences beyond the ANC

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has decided to extend relief to 32 other political parties after the Constitutional Court ordered the inclusion of 181 African National Congress candidates on the ballot for the 4 November 2026 local government elections.

The Constitutional Court’s order concerned 51 ward candidates and 130 proportional-representation candidates in six municipalities. The ANC had challenged the rejection of its candidate submissions after the final step of the online nomination process was not completed.

Why 32 other parties are being included

In a statement issued on Friday, 16 October, the IEC said its compliance checks identified 32 parties in a materially similar position: they had nominated eligible candidates and paid election deposits but had not finally submitted their lists. Those parties had sought to contest in 121 municipalities.

The Commission said consistent treatment required the 32 parties to be deemed to have lawfully submitted their candidates. Thirteen other parties were not granted equivalent relief because they did not satisfy other nomination requirements, including deposit payment or voter-registration conditions.

Ballot printing becomes the immediate challenge

The IEC said the decision affects ballot arrangements in 107 municipalities. It expects a total requirement of about 33 million ballot papers, with 27 million already printed and 6.6 million still outstanding at the time of the announcement.

The Commission said it had held back printing ballots for the six municipalities involved in the ANC appeal, avoiding costs on those particular ballots before the judgment. It will now contact the 32 parties to confirm whether they still intend to contest and to complete any necessary candidate-list adjustments.

Will the election date change?

The IEC says it does not currently expect the development to change the 4 November election date. It has nevertheless acknowledged that the timetable for printing and administering the ballots has become considerably tighter.

The Constitutional Court has not yet delivered its full written reasons. The immediate development is the IEC’s operational decision to extend relief beyond the ANC — a meaningful new step since the earlier CREATIVE KONG report on the case while judgment was reserved.