South African lawmakers are gearing up to elect the country's president following the swearing-in ceremony at the first sitting of Parliament. This session will unveil the unity government that the ruling African National Congress (ANC) has been working on after losing its majority for the first time since 1994.
The upcoming session will also see the election of Parliament's new speaker and deputy speaker, decisions that have been shaped by negotiations between the ANC and opposition parties since the election results were announced nearly two weeks ago.
Parties are under pressure to finalize negotiations by Thursday to meet the constitutional requirement of swearing in lawmakers and electing the president within 14 days of the election results being declared.
The ANC secured 40% of the national vote in the recent election, with the Democratic Alliance (DA) following with just over 21% and the newly formed uMkhonto weSizwe Party with about 15% in their debut election.
Opting for a national unity government involving most political parties that contested the election, the ANC has chosen this approach over a traditional coalition with a select few parties. However, negotiations have revealed deep divisions among South Africa's political parties, with some rejecting the proposed unity government while others have agreed to participate.
The Inkatha Freedom Party, the fifth-largest party with 3.85% of the vote, confirmed its decision to join the national unity government led by the ANC. It also initiated talks to form a coalition with the ANC and DA in the KwaZulu-Natal province.
Despite its impressive performance in the election, the MK Party, formed just six months ago, has declined to join the unity government and attempted to halt the sitting. The Constitutional Court dismissed the party's application, allowing the session to proceed.
The EFF, the fourth-largest party, has expressed reluctance to engage in any arrangement involving the DA, citing ideological differences. The ANC may need to form a national unity government excluding the EFF and MK Party, a trend that could extend to coalition governments at the provincial level where the ANC also lost its majority in several provinces.
