South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) is leading with more than a 40 percent share of the national vote after half of the ballots have been counted, a day after the country went to the polls for national and provincial elections that are widely predicted to test the ANC’s 30-year rule.
The Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) started counting votes soon after polling ended on Wednesday. The Democratic Alliance (DA), South Africa’s principal opposition party, is currently in second place.
Here is how the top four parties are doing, according to the latest updates from the IEC.
Which are the main parties in the race?
Four of the biggest players to watch out for in this year’s elections are the ANC, the DA, uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).
Previous election results
The ANC has won all national elections since the end of apartheid in 1994 when Nelson Mandela became the country’s first Black president.
In 1994, the ANC won 62.5 percent of the vote. In 1999, it won 66.4 percent. In 2004, it reached its highest levels, clinching almost 70 percent of the vote. In 2009, it won nearly 66 percent, and in 2014, it won 62 percent.
In the last election in 2019, the ANC achieved its lowest margin of victory, winning 57.5 percent of the vote.
The DA has come second in the past five elections.
Parties in current National Assembly
The lower house of parliament is currently represented by 400 members of 14 political parties, allocated proportionally based on the votes each party received in the 2019 elections.
- ANC: 230 seats (57.5 percent)
- DA: 84 seats (21 percent)
- EFF: 44 seats (11 percent)
- Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP): 14 seats (3.5 percent)
Ten other parties make up the remaining 28 seats.
How is the president elected?
South Africans do not directly vote for the president.
Instead, they elect the members of the National Assembly, who then elect the president by a simple majority – 201 or more votes determine the presidency.
If the ANC secures the majority, President Cyril Ramaphosa, 71, is likely to be re-elected as president to serve his second and final five-year term.
What if no party receives a majority?
Opinion polls suggest the governing ANC, which is hovering at about 40 percent support, may lose its majority.
If this happens, the ANC will need to make a deal with other parties to form a coalition government. The choice of coalition partner will depend on the support needed to cross the 50 percent mark.
Unless the ANC performs much worse than expected, there is a slim chance it could be completely removed from power.
When will the final results be announced?
In the last national election held on May 8, 2019, the final results were announced three days later.
However, this year, with one more ballot to count, verifying results may take longer.
The IEC says it will announce the election results on Sunday.
