§ Electoral Act s. 73Powers and duties of presiding officers

(1) Thepresiding officer of a voting
station must co-ordinate and supervise the voting at that voting station so as to ensure that the
election at the voting station is free and fair.
(2) The presiding officer(a)
mayexercisethepowers
and must perfom the duties assigned to apresiding
officer by or under this Act;
(b)
musttake all reasonable steps to ensureorderlyconduct at that voting station;
and
(c)
may order a member of
the security services to assist in ensuring orderly conduct at that voting station, and that member must comply withthat order.
(3) The presiding officer may exclude from the area within the boundary of a voting
station any person otherthan(a)
a member, employee or officer of the Commission, or the chief electoral officer;
(b)
an agent who is entitled in terms of section 59 to be present at a voting station;
(c)
the prescribed number of candidates as the presiding officer may allow;
(6) a person appointed by an accredited observer;
(e)
a voter present for the purpose of casting a vote; and
cf)
any other person or category of persons authorised by the chief electoral officer
to be present atthe voting station.
(4)( a ) Despite subsection ( 3 ) , the presiding officer may order any person mentioned
in subsection (3) (6) to cf) to leave the area within the boundary of the voting station if that
person's conduct is not conducive to a free and fair election at that voting station.
(6) Thepresidingofficermustgive
paragraph ( a ) .
(Issue No 33 - Supplenler1tury)
that personreasons for an order in temx of
STATUTES OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA-ELECTIONS
ss. 73 - 79
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S S . 73 - I9
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(5) If a person refusesto comply with an order in terms of subsection(4), the presiding
offker may order a member of the security services to forcibly remove that person, and that
member must comply withthat order.
(6) The deputy presiding officer of a votingstation must act as presiding officer whenever-
(a)
the presiding officer is absent from duty, or for any reason is temporarily unable
to exercise the powers and perform theduties of the presiding officer; or
(b)
the office of presiding officer for that voting station is vacant.