MK looks to scupper election of new president with threat not to attend first Parliament sitting

Source: EWN Traffic
Author: Lindsay Dentlinger

CAPE TOWN - The MK Party is looking to scupper the election of a new president by threatening not to send its 58 members to the first sitting of Parliament.

This over objections to last week's polls and a demand of a vote recount.

But constitutional law academic, Pierre de Vos, said that this move was unlikely to impact on the proceedings at the first sitting expected in two weeks' time.

* Zuma's lawyers want expelled MK leader Khumalo charged with perjury

* Zuma accuses IEC of provoking MK Party by declaring election results

The MK Party is looking to put Parliament in a legal predicament even before they set foot in the door.

The Chief Justice has gazetted that the rules that will apply for the election of a Speaker, a deputy Speaker and the president.

De Vos said that even if MK members were not present, the show would go on.

"It's not the number of members of the National Assembly but the votes of those present there that will decide the election of the president and once the president is elected, he will form the government."

Because all 400 seats in the House have been designated by the Electoral Commission, De Vos said that boycotting the session would not invalidate the assembly, nor would it affect the quorum of one third of members required to be present to elect office bearers.