Johannesburg - The Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (Casac) has been admitted as a friend of the court (amicus curiae) in the battle to have independent candidates standing in national and provincial elections.

The Constitutional Court is scheduled to hear arguments in the matter brought by the New Nation Movement, National Khoi and San Council’s Western Cape representative Chantal Revell, GRO and indigenous First Nation Advocacy SA later this month.

According to Casac, the advantages and disadvantages of the current electoral system and the extent to which greater accountability is promoted by allowing independent candidates to contest national and provincial elections are matters of considerable debate.

Casac said whether or not the current electoral system should be changed to allow independent candidates to contest national and provincial elections and how it should promote greater accountability were issues of national importance.

It believes such issues lie within the remit of Parliament, which has a constitutional duty to act as the national forum for public debate.