Court ruling allows expats to vote.

The Constitutional Court ruled today that registered voters living overseas will be allowed to vote in the April 22 national elections.

This is a victory for many expats that were previously not permitted to cast their vote, their argument for being allowed to vote was based on the opinion that denying them a vote goes against the constitution.

Expats living overseas must inform the chief electoral officer of their intention to vote by March 27 or risk missing out on casting their vote in what is being touted as the most important election since 1994.

The parties in support of the change included the Inkatha Freedom Party, the Freedom Front Plus, the Democratic Alliance and the A-Party. It was also supported by private citizens living overseas and various lobby groups.

A great number of South African citizens moved overseas for reasons such as the high crime rate and the prospect of making more money in other countries, they will certainly relish the opportunity to be able to cast their vote and influence the outcome of the election.

Judgement on the separate matter of allowing unregistered voters to register for the elections overseas has also come back, expats who have not yet registered will not be able to do so from overseas. The IEC has had to amend their election regulations according to the judgements.