The African National Congress party in South Africa lost its parliamentary majority in a historic election result Saturday that puts the country on a new political path for the first time since the end of the apartheid system of white minority rule 30 years ago.
The once-dominant ANC had earned just over 40% of the vote in Wednesday’s election, falling far short of the majority it had held since the famous all-race vote of 1994, which abolished apartheid and brought Nelson Mandela to power.
The final results have not to be formally certified by the independent electoral commission that handled the poll, but the ANC cannot cross 50%.
At the start of the election, the commission said it would formally declare the results by Sunday, but that could come earlier.
The African National Congress (ANC) managed to hold onto its majority, despite opposition parties hailing the outcome as a historic turning point for a nation beset by extreme poverty and inequality.
However, it will now likely need to look for a coalition partner or partners to remain in the government and reelect President Cyril Ramaphosa for a second and final term. Parliament elects the South African president after national elections.
Steenhuisen’s Democratic Alliance party received roughly 21% of the vote. Former President Jacob Zuma’s new MK Party, which has turned against the ANC he formerly led, finished third with slightly more than 14% of the vote in its inaugural election. The Economic Freedom Fighters came in fourth with slightly over 9%.
More than 50 parties competed in the election, many of which received small shares of the vote, but the DA and MK appear to be the most obvious for the ANC to approach, considering how distant it is from a majority.
Which alliance the ANC pursues is the urgent emphasis today, considering Parliament must sit and pick a president within 14 days of the final election results being officially announced.
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