Majority of Parties Want Secret Ballot for Zuma No Confidence Vote

The Speaker of the National Assembly has received submissions from political parties in Parliament stating their views regarding the appropriate voting procedure to be followed next month – when the Motion of No Confidence in South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma is debated on 8 August 2017.

The South African Parliament announced in a statement Sunday that nine of the 13 parties, represented in the National Assembly, had met the deadline of Friday 14 July to make their submissions.

While the majority said they’d prefer a secret ballot, the African National Congress (ANC) and the Democratic Alliance (DA) indicated they will abide by the Speaker’s decision.

The other seven were: Economic Freedom Fighters, Inkatha Freedom Party, National Freedom Party, United Democratic Movement, Freedom Front Plus, African Christian Democratic Party and Congress of the People.

The Speaker will now consider the submissions, together with a host of other factors, in deciding whether voting will be by secret or open ballot.

Parliament said the Speaker will make her decision before the scheduled debate on the Motion of No Confidence in the President on 8 August.