JOHANNESBURG, March 8 — The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), an independent national human rights institution, on Wednesday urged the country’s political parties to observe human rights and shun misinformation while canvassing for votes. The election process also sees an increase in human rights complaints from political parties and members of the public, and it is imperative to uphold the rule of law and observe human rights during the election period, the SAHRC said in a statement. Citizens should especially caution against the spread of false information, especially through the means of social media and other platforms, the SAHRC warned.
While encouraging people to cast their votes during election day, the SAHRC expressed its concern that previous election turnouts have been declining, which dropped from 77.3 percent in 2009 to 73.5 percent in 2014 and 66.1 percent in 2019. “It has been reported that the youth in South Africa have been less interested in the elections,” the SAHRC said, adding that it would like to remind eligible voters of their constitutional right to participate in the elections. “People with disabilities and the elderly must be assisted in order to register for special votes.” South Africa will conduct national and provincial elections on May 29.
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