The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) announced on 20 March 2019 that a record number of 48 parties had registered candidates for the national parliamentary election. This is 19 more parties that contested the 2014 national elections. In the provincial legislature elections, the total number of parties registering candidates were: * Eastern Cape – 26 * Free State – 28 * Gauteng – 36 * KwaZulu-Natal – 31 * Limpopo – 34 * Mpumalanga – 28 * Northern Cape – 21 * North West – 29 * Western Cape – 34
