'Stop political opinion polls'

ACTIONSA: CALLS FOR LAW TO CONTROL PUBLIC'S FEELINGS

- Eric Mthobeli Naki

ActionSA's proposed law to control political public opinion polls has elicited mixed reactions - but experts agree some polls are unreliable and biased to serve certain agendas.

The Electoral Laws Amendment Bill 2025 proposes that political opinion polls and exit polls be regulated by an ombud, who would be appointed by the Electoral Commission's chief officer.

Proposed by the party's Lerato Ngobeni, it provides for a ban on the publication of political opinion polling and exit polling seven days before the election and during the hours prior to voting.

Any person who contravenes the provisions would be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine or imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years.

ActionSA said polls produced by some organisations were politically biased and produced misleading results.

This follows the party's complaint to the press ombud against Rapport, City Press and News24, which published a report based on an anonymous poll released in March last year, a few months prior to the general election.