The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party has reinstated its electoral court challenge to the outcome of the 29 May national and provincial elections and has asked the court to order a rerun of the poll.
The party served notice of the application to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC); chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo; the speakers of Parliament and the nine provincial legislatures; the President and the parties represented in the legislatures and Parliament on Thursday.
It has asked the court to hear the matter urgently, arguing that it is in the public interest, and has requested that it issue an order declaring that the outcome of the poll was not free and fair as stated by the IEC.
It wants the IEC declaration set aside and an order compelling President Cyril Ramaphosa to issue a proclamation to hold an election within 90 days of the result being set aside.
It further wants the costs of the application to be paid by the IEC and Mamabolo.
The party withdrew its first application to have the results set aside, as it was unable to compile an analytical report it had commissioned on the IEC’s results system in time.
The IEC had in turn attempted to have the court rule on the application in its form at the time, rather than allowing it to be withdrawn.