With a few hours left until the 7th national and provincial elections the IEC in the Free State has declared its readiness.

The last day for special votes is Tuesday (28/5) and voting stations open at 09:00 and close at 17:00. Home visits and voting station visits are being done by election officers.

Voters voting in the province where they are registered will receive three national, regional, and provincial ballot papers. If they vote outside their registered province, they will only be eligible to vote in the national ballot paper.

“For the main event which is the elections on Wednesday, we have 1 586 voting stations that are available and will be opened at seven in the morning and close at nine in the evening,” said Free State IEC Communications Officer Mmathabo Rasengane.

“We have about 1.45 million voters that have registered. We anticipate that they will all come and we made provisions for those coming from outside the province if they notified us that they will vote in the Free State.”

“Our materials are at the warehouses and are being collected in the morning by our presiding officers to the voting stations and they are escorted by the SAPS for security and safety. We are ready for these elections,” said Rasengane.

Rasengane mentioned Steynsrus as a hotspot they’re watching because of protest actions in the previous elections.

Free State political analyst Professor Sethulego Matebesi said the IEC in the province has done commendable work. “I strongly believe that the IEC is ready as they’ve done in the past.”

“Visibility and impact are key when it comes to the elections, with every tick of the clock there is a moment where the harsh realities of contesting elections creep in because now politicians and all the formed new parties will realize it takes more financial resources to compete in the elections.”

“I do not foresee any large-scale disruptions over the elections. The Free State has traditionally been very peaceful when it comes to elections, there might be sporadic protests in one or two localities. I want to urge every South African registered to vote to go and vote,” said Metebesi.

Voting stations open from 07:00 am to 9:00 pm on Wednesday (29/5).

OFM News/Zenande Mpame mvh