Forty-eight political parties are expected to contest the national elections on May 8. 

Leaders of the political parties gathered in Johannesburg on Wednesday to sign the mandatory electoral code of conduct.

Independent Electoral Commission chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo said South Africa's voters' roll contains 26 756 898 voters, of whom 55 percent are women and 45 percent are men.

"This voter’s roll represents 74.6 [percent] of the total voting age population. Since the first universal voters roll was compiled in 1999, the roll has grown by 47 per cent.

Inspired by the Electoral Commission's X’se campaign, young voters under the age of 29 constitute 20 per cent of the total voters roll."

Gauteng has the largest number of parties contesting at 36. Western Cape and Limpopo come second with 34. KwaZulu-Natal has 31 parties contesting the provincial elections, while the North West has 29 parties. Mpumalanga and the Free State have 28 parties each. The Eastern Cape has 26 parties taking part while the Northern Cape has the smallest number at 21.

Voters will cast their votes at 22 924 voting stations across the country.

"The code holds contesting parties and candidates to a code of behaviour intended to promote conditions that are conducive to free and fair elections and creating a climate of tolerance, free political campaigning, and open public debate. It is in effect from the day of proclamation of an election until the announcement of results," the IEC said in a statement. 

Here are the parties that are taking part in the 2019 elections in alphabetical order: 

• African Christian Democratic Party
• African Congress of Democrats
• African Content Movement
• African Covenant
• African Democratic Change
• African Independent Congress
• African National Congress
• African People's Congress
• African People's Convention
• African Renaissance Unity
• African Security Congress
• African Transformation Movement
• Afrikan Alliance of Social Democrats
• Agang South Africa
• Al Jama-ah
• Alliance for Transformation of All
• Azanian People's Organisation
• Better Residents Association
• Black First Land First
• Capitalist Party of South Africa
• Christian Political Movement
• Compatriots of South Africa
• Congress of the People
• Democratic Alliance
• Democratic Liberal Congress
• Economic Emancipation Forum 
• Economic Freedom Fighters
• Forum 4 Service Delivery
• Free Democrats
• Front Nasionaal/Front National
• Good
• Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa
• Inkhatha Freedom Party
• International Revelation Congress
• Land Party
• Minority Front
• National Freedom Front 
• National People's Ambassadors
• National People's Front
• Pan Africanist Congress of Azania
• Patriotic Alliance
• People's Revolutionary Movement
• Power of African's Unity
• Socialist Revolutionary Worker's Party
• South African Maintenance and Estate Beneficiaries  
• South African National Congress of Traditional Authorities
• United Democratic Movement
• Vryheidsheidfront Plus
• Women Forward