The time of one political party dominating the local political scene is a thing of the past, the Congress of the People (Cope) in the Northern Cape said on Thursday.

Fizile Kies, Cope spokesman in the province, said the party was extremely excited with its "gain of two wards" and wish to congratulate its new councillors.

"We are more than satisfied with this achievement given the little time and resources we had at our disposal."

Kies said the by-elections in the province had proven "beyond any doubt" that the status quo of one party dominating was a thing of the past.

"The Congress of the People, a one-month old political party, has defied all odds by making significant inroads in all voting stations where by-elections were held in the Northern Cape," he said.

Kies said it was uplifting that despite not winning seats per se,
Cope had done extremely well in terms of obtaining at least 40 percent in many contested wards in the province.

By Thursday afternoon, the results in one ward were still outstanding, after Cope declared a dispute due to apparent irregularities

Kies said Cope contested all the wards in the by-election against some of the more established parties in the country.

"One of these is infamous for abusing state resources for votes and splashed millions of rand in their campaign," he said.

"We have definitely given them a run for their money, while the other chickened out and did not contest any ward."

Kies said what had become certain after Wednesday by-elections, was that voters were beginning to heed Cope's call in its 2009 Manifesto of "deepening democracy and to defend the Constitution".

Cope in the province would now consolidate its gains and ensure a victory for the new party in the Northern Cape during the forthcoming general elections, he said.