South Africans received the final tally of their Wednesday vote, in a new face of election which saw contending parties subdue the ruling Africa National Congress (ANC) for the first time in thirty years.
Even though the party won the majority of seats in parliament at 40.18% (159 of the 400 seats), failing to achieve above 50% of votes spells doom for its party leader and the country’s President – Cyril Ramaphosa.
According to a report by Al Jazeera, President Ramaphosa is likely to step down as the president and the leader of ANC.
It is important to note that in South Africa, unlike many African states, electorates don’t vote for President directly but, the ruling party.
Coalition Government
For the first time since the end of apartheid in 1994, the once-dominant party will need to make a deal with other parties to form a coalition government.
The Democratic Alliance (DA), the main opposition party, received the second-highest number of votes (21.81%) followed by the MK party (14.58%) and EFF headed by Julius Malema managed to garner 9.52%.
Also Read: South Africans Vote in Most Competitive Election Since End of Apartheid
The ANC managed enough votes to secure more than 50 percent in five out of South Africa’s nine provinces: Limpopo (74 percent), the Eastern Cape (62 percent), North West (59 percent), Free State (53 percent), and Mpumalanga (52 percent).
In the Northern Cape (49 percent) and Gauteng (36 percent), the ANC fell short of a majority and will need to find coalition partners to form the government.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) will continue to govern the Western Cape (53 percent), which it has done since 2009.
In KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), former President Jacob Zuma’s MK received the highest number of votes at some 46 percent, ahead of the ANC which managed about 18 percent.
Additional reporting by Al Jazeera
