547 political parties to contest 2026 LGE: IEC

A total of 547 of the 732 registered political parties are contesting the local government elections (LGE).

This is up from 325 parties that contested the polls in 2021.

This number was confirmed by the Electoral Commission (IEC) earlier on Wednesday during a media briefing on the outcomes of the candidate nomination process.

The IEC also revealed that 49 out of the 61 parties that are registered at a municipal level will be contesting in the local elections.

📢MEDIA BRIEFING UPDATE

142,072 candidates. 10,526 council seats. One election.

On 4 November 2026, Mzansi will meet at the polls. The nomination process now moves to the next stage.

📅 The final list of candidates will be published on 16 September 2026.#WozaLGE2026 pic.twitter.com/XhN6ukM8TA

— IEC South Africa (@IECSouthAfrica) September 2, 2026

Meanwhile, 237 out of 290 political parties at a district level will also contest the local polls. 

IEC Chairperson Mosotho Moepya gives a breakdown, “345 political parties are registered at national level, and 227 of those have nominated candidates, representing 66% of the registered parties. At the provincial level, 36 parties are registered, with 33 contesting, representing 92%.”

IEC briefs the media on the outcomes of the candidate nomination process

Natasha Phiri