The African National Congress’s vote share falls to 40 percent, forcing it to seek coalition partners to form the government.
The African National Congress (ANC) party has lost its parliamentary majority in a historic election result that sets South Africa on a new political path for the first time since the end of the white minority apartheid system. 30 years ago.
With more than 99 percent of votes counted on Saturday, the once-dominant ANC took nearly 40 percent in Wednesday’s election, a far cry from the majority it had held since the famous 1994 multiracial vote that put ended apartheid and brought him to power. under Nelson Mandela.
The main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), received 21.63 percent and uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), a new party led by former president and ANC leader Jacob Zuma, managed to obtain 14.71 percent, taking votes away from the ANC.
Opposition parties hailed the result as a major breakthrough for a country grappling with deep poverty and inequality, but the ANC somehow remained the largest party.
“The way to save South Africa is to break the majority of the ANC and we have done that,” said main opposition leader John Steenhuisen.
Final results have yet to be officially declared by the Independent Electoral Commission which organized the elections, but the ANC cannot achieve a score of 50 percent.
Reporting from the Results Operation Center in Midrand, South Africa, Al Jazeera’s Mike Hanna said the ANC would try to find a way to form a new government.
“It (the ANC) must find a partner to be able to govern. Otherwise, it could attempt to form a minority government, which could make it very difficult to pass any form of legislation or advance ANC policy,” he said.
Gwede Mantashe, president of the ANC and current Minister of Mines and Energy, told journalists in remarks broadcast by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC): “We can talk to everyone and anyone who,” dodging the question of who was the party discussing a possible coalition. deal with.
Political parties’ vote shares determine their seats in the country’s National Assembly, which elects the country’s president.
President Cyril Ramaphosa can in theory still retain his post, with the former liberation movement on course to get around twice as many votes as the next party. But he will be weakened and could face calls to resign from opposition parties and critics within the deeply divided ANC.
However, on Friday a senior ANC official backed him to remain as party leader, and analysts say he has no obvious successor.
A deal to keep the ANC in the presidency could involve support from the opposition in exchange for either ministerial posts or greater control over Parliament, perhaps even over the president.
The electoral commission announced the final results for Sunday.
News Source : www.aljazeera.com
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