In an historic turn of events, the African National Congress (ANC) has failed to secure a parliamentary majority in South Africa’s latest elections, receiving only 40.18 percent of the votes.
This marks the first time since the end of apartheid in 1994 that the ANC will need to form a coalition government.
The Democratic Alliance (DA), the main opposition party, garnered 21.81 percent of the votes, followed by the MK party with 14.58 percent and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) with 9.52 percent.
Voter turnout was low, with only 16.2 million of the 27.7 million registered voters casting their ballots, resulting in a turnout of 58.64 percent – the lowest in the country’s democratic history. This is a significant drop from previous years, including a 66 percent turnout in the 2019 elections.
The ANC secured more than 50 percent of the votes in five of South Africa’s nine provinces
What next:
South Africans do not directly vote for their president; instead, they elect members of the National Assembly, who then elect the president. The Current President, Cyril Ramaphosa is seeking a second term. He has indicated he will not resign despite the ANC’s poor showing at the polls.
The election results signal a significant shift in South Africa’s political landscape, with the ANC needing to navigate coalition politics to maintain governance.
Story by : Zenas Fiagbe | Sources : BBC News, AlJazeera English
