The Movement Democratic Party will be placed first on the ballot paper in the upcoming national election, it was decided on Wednesday.

The Pretoria-based party's name was drawn from a fish bowl where it sat alongside the other parties contesting the April 22 poll at a pledge-signing ceremony hosted by the Independent Electoral Commission.

Its president, Jake Maseka, at the event in Midrand called on the IEC to hold elections every year.

"Then our people will get food parcels and bursaries every year," he quipped.

The MDP would be followed by the other parties in alphabetical order, with the ANC in the 14th slot, the Democratic Alliance 21st, the Inkatha Freedom Party 24th, the Congress of the People in the 20th slot, the Independent Democrats 23rd and the Freedom Front Plus in the 10th slot.

The party on the tail end of the list is the Minority Front, preceded by the Keep It Straight and Simple party.

Second on the list is the National Democratic Convention followed by the New Vision Party and then the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania.

Voters will be greeted by a picture of the party representative as well as the party emblem and name written in full.