south africa election

Elections in South Africa include elections for the National Assembly (the lower house of the Parliament of South Africa), the provincial legislatures, and municipal councils. Elections are held on a five-year cycle and are conducted by the Electoral Commission (IEC), which is an independent body established by the constitution. The most recent elections for the National Assembly and provincial legislatures were held in 2024, while the most recent elections for municipal councils were held in 2021.
In elections for the National Assembly, by voting for political parties and independent candidates, voters elect 400 Members of Parliament, who serve to represent their constituents throughout their terms of office.
In such elections, every South African citizen who is 18 or older is eligible to vote, including (since the 2014 election) those resident outside South Africa. Voters must be registered with the Electoral Commission and have a identity card or book.
In contrast, in elections for a provincial legislature or municipal council, only those resident within the respective province or municipality may vote.
The electoral system for the National Assembly and the provincial legislatures is based on party-list proportional representation, which means that parties are represented in proportion to their electoral support. Since 2024, independent candidates have also been able to stand for election. For municipal councils there is a mixed-member system in which wards elect individual councillors alongside those named from party lists. Changes to the electoral system were proposed in 2025 by an advisory body established by Parliament.
The next elections in South Africa will be the 2026 municipal elections, which are scheduled to take place on 4 November.

View More On Wikipedia.org