Note to Editors: The following speech was delivered today by the DA Free State Premier Candidate, Roy Jankielsohn, at the IEC signing ceremony in the Free State.
Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Roy Jankielsohn MPL. See the pictures here, here and here.
We acknowledge the IEC for facilitating the signing of the electoral code of conduct, and everyone who has come to sign and witness this event.
After signing this code of conduct by all political parties and individuals participating in various ways in the 2024 National and Provincial Elections we expect leaders and the IEC to ensure that the principles of freedom and fairness are upheld prior to, during and after the elections.
While freedom can be regarded as the absence of interference or impediment, it also includes an important aspect relating to resources that allow for the ability to exercise freedom.
For election purposes, freedom implies the following:
- No impediments are in place that disrupt or deny a potential voter from registering as a voter or voting in an election.
- That the processes relating to registration of voters and voting are transparent and visible for party agents.
- That there is a spirit of political tolerance that includes no undue interference or threats by any individual, organisation, party, government or state institution that may prevent a voter or political party from exercising their political right to express political opinions, to seek and impart political information, to move freely, to campaign on an equal basis, to register as a voter, and vote on elections days.
- Resources are distributed in an equitable and fair manner that will facilitate the rights of all potential voters to register and vote in an election.
- The governing party and government officials refrain from conflating political party and state by the abuse of state resources for party political purposes.
Fairness relates to the institutional and legal measures that are in place that allow voters to exercise their freedom to register and vote in elections. In this respect, a legitimate and acceptable code of conduct is drafted and signed by all participants, including representatives of the current government.
We expect the IEC who are responsible for facilitating and ensuring free and fair elections to monitor the implementation of the code of conduct and implement the constitutional and legal frameworks within which political parties and individuals carry out this task. This includes the necessary training of electoral staff to carry out their crucial tasks in an impartial manner.
The Democratic Alliance in the Free State regards these aspects as non-negotiable for the credibility and legitimacy of free and fair elections in the province.