The Congress of the People (Cope) added its voice to the disapproval of president Jacob Zuma’s appointment of Vuma Mashinini as the new chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). The party suggested that the move “may have a dark motive” and asked “how truly independent will the IEC be under him?Cope’s Dennis Bloem said “every appointment…Zuma makes arouses deep suspicion‚ and Mashinini’s proximity to the president as his “advisor on special projects” does the same.“He was too close to the president. That will interfere with his acting independently and with total integrity‚” said Bloem.“Party and personal interests continue to trump state and national interests.”Bloem pointed to “an increasing body of public opinion (that) holds the ruling party can no longer rely on the loyalty of voters to retain power”‚ and “it will seek to put pliant cadres and close friends in high places in the IEC to subvert free and fair processes”.The Cope spokesperson also predicted “that legal challenges will arise after next year’s local government elections because the highly credible IEC will have done something stupid to tarnish its enviable reputation”. “We will certainly go into next year’s elections full of suspicion that tinkering and tampering will take place under Mashinini’s leadership of the IEC‚” said Bloem. “He must know that we are going to watch his every move with hawk’s eyes.”..