DA misguided on how observation of election process works - IEC

JOHANNESBURG - The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) says the Democratic Alliance (DA) has got it wrong when it comes to how the observation of the election process works.
 
The party has written to US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken asking for independent domestic observers in the upcoming polls.

The move has been criticised as a potential threat to South Africa’s sovereignty in the backdrop of alleged voter suppression in the US. 

READ: Political parties slam DA's request to the West for help in monitoring elections
 
IEC’s Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo said as a general principle, they believe observing elections boosts their credibility, but the DA didn't have the correct approach. 
 
“Nonetheless, we are alive to the fact that the letter by the DA is directly to an executive in another country. That’s not how ordinarily the observation process works.”
 
He said in the past, invitations have been extended to multilateral bodies such as the African Union, the Southern African Development Community and the Commonwealth.
 
“So, I think all the role players need to be alive to the fact that the issues of the need to preserve the integrity of the democratic process in their respective countries.”