FACT CHECK: Was South Africa’s election hitch free as Peter Obi claimed? - Claire Mom
Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in 2023, says South Africa’s recent election was hitch-free and devoid of technical glitches.
Obi made the claim on Saturday while making comparisons between the elections in Nigeria and South Africa.
“The outcome of the recent South African election results remains a shining example of what a transparent and efficient democratic electoral process should look like,” the former Anambra governor tweeted.
“With about 60% voter turnout, over 90% of polling open on time, allowing diaspora voting, the results and updates were real-time without any form of technical glitches during the election.
“This demonstrated the robustness and transparency of their system. The seamless online dissemination of results further highlights their commitment to democratic principles and technological advancement.”
South Africa’s national and provincial elections were held on May 29. Later that same evening, results began to trickle in with the outcome eventually announced on June 2.
The elections grabbed global attention as the ruling African National Congress (ANC) lost the majority of seats needed to win the country’s parliament, forcing it into a coalition.
It is the first time the ANC, which has been in power since the end of apartheid in 1994, would fail to secure a majority of the votes.
President Cyril Ramaphosa accepted the outcome, saying it reflected the people’s wish.
Ramaphosa’s smooth concession earned him commendations from political stakeholders in and outside the country, including Obi.
But how factual were Obi’s claims in his observations?
CLAIM 1: SOUTH AFRICA’S ELECTIONS WERE HITCH-FREE
Verdict: False
One of Obi’s claims was that there were no technical glitches during the election.
This is incorrect.
In the early hours of May 31, the results page of the country’s Electoral Commission (IEC) went blank for roughly two hours.
The IEC apologized for the glitch without citing a reason for the disruption but assured that results were not compromised.
The development did not sit well with the uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party backed by former President Jacob Zuma which accused the IEC of “serious transgressions”.
Zuma claimed that the MK party has “proof” that vote-rigging allegedly went on “in the background” when the IEC dashboard crashed, threatening that his supporters would be provoked if the results were not amended.
CLAIM 2: ‘60% VOTER TURNOUT, DIASPORA VOTING’
Verdict: Partly correct
Obi claimed that the elections had a 60 percent voter turnout.
According to the South African Government News Agency, voter turnout was 58.57 percent.
The turnout was a steep decline from the 66.05 percent recorded in the 2019 national elections.
However, Obi’s claim of diaspora voting was correct.
The IEC has been mandated to organise out-of-country voting since 2009 and the process was also used for last month’s election.
Citizens who wish to vote out-of-country must be registered to vote and must be able to produce a South African identity document (ID) when voting at an international voting station at an accredited mission.
VERDICT
Obi’s claims about the South African elections being hitch-free were mostly false. The elections had hitches and the voter turnout was lower than 60 percent. However, diaspora voting was in place.
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