Voters during the South African general elections on May 29, 2024 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
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Live updates of partial results from South Africa’s parliamentary elections have reappeared on the Electoral Commission’s website, after a problem lasting at least two hours.
The publications are being closely watched amid early indications that the African National Congress, Nelson Mandela’s liberation party, could lose its parliamentary majority for the first time in the 30 years since it took power.
The Electoral Commission portal briefly went blank at 6:08 a.m. London time, but showed results again at 8:23 a.m. London time, according to CNBC monitoring.
The commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNBC on the interruption of updates. Reuters reported that the disruption was the result of a technical problem that technicians at the results center in Midrand, north of Johannesburg, were dealing with.
Once the portal came back online, its data showed support for the ANC at 41.86% on 55.63% of ballots cast., with the Democratic Alliance (DA) at 23.67% and the Marxist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) obtaining 19.98%.
A final result close to the current preliminary 42% would be a sharp fall for the ANC, which last received 57.5% support in the 2019 elections. It would also push incumbent President Cyril Ramaphosa to initiate elections. negotiations for a coalition government, fueling political uncertainty that could impact the country’s economic prospects.
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