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The African National Congress welcomes the Constitutional Court's refusal to be abused by opposition parties with no popular mandate wanting to co-govern with the democratically elected government of the people.

The United Democratic Movement (UDM) and others brought before the court a frivolous and vexatious application which sought to call on the Constitutional Court to disregard the Doctrine of Separation of Powers and direct the National Assembly Speaker how to direct the business of Parliament.

As the final arbiters in any contested manner, the Court has clarified that the Speaker may decide on a secret ballot. The clarification is welcome. The Court however will not decide for the Speaker, the Head of the another arm of State, as to how she exercises her discretion despite the mischievous and adventourous exercise of the UDM to force this point. We are confident that hte Speaker will apply her mind to the decision before her and we will respect the decision taken in this regard.

The African National Congress has full confidence in our Members of Parliament and do not doubt their revolutionary discipline and commitment to the decisions and directives of the organization. Members of the ANC will not be dictated to by the unprincipled, undemocratic oppositionist coalition which when given an opportunity to remove the racist Helen Zille from office as Premier in the Western Cape failed to do so and subjected their own who voted with their conscience to humiliating lie detector tests in Mogale City.

Regardless of whether a secret ballot is granted or not in this matter, this motion of no confidence - like countless others before it - is nothing but an exercise in political posturing and is condemned to failure.

Issued by the African National Congress