On Saturday morning, the vote counting for the 2024 South African election has entered its final stages. According to the results from 98% of the polling stations, the African National Congress (ANC) has a voting rate slightly over 40%. This signifies the end of ANC’s 30-year history of sole governance.
South African voters, angered by issues such as unemployment, inequality, and power shortages, have affected ANC’s ballot count. The party’s support has dropped from 57.5% in the previous parliamentary election in 2019 to 40.15%. This will mark the first change in South Africa’s political landscape in 30 years, as ANC must now share power with its competitors to retain control.
The main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), received a voting rate of 21.71%, while the new party led by former president Jacob Zuma, the MK (Spear of the Nation), received 14.76% of the votes.
Since the end of white minority rule in 1994, ANC has consistently won national elections by a significant margin. However, over the past decade, with the stagnant economy, rising unemployment rates, and infrastructure issues, ANC’s support has been declining.
The strong performance of MK, especially in Zuma’s hometown in the KwaZulu-Natal province, is one of the main reasons why ANC failed to secure a majority of seats. Now, ANC will have to form agreements with one or more parties to govern jointly.
The percentage of votes each party receives determines their seats in the National Assembly, which is responsible for electing the country’s president.
Current South African President Cyril Ramaphosa theoretically can retain his position, but his power will be significantly weakened, possibly even facing calls for resignation from both opposition parties and critics within ANC.
On Friday, a senior official from ANC expressed support for Ramaphosa to continue as the party leader. Analysts believe that Ramaphosa does not have a clear successor at the moment.
The opposition parties may support Ramaphosa to stay on as the president, but this would involve coalition government agreements. This move could be used by the opposition to gain more parliamentary control, possibly even the position of the speaker.
The final results of the South African election are expected to be announced this Sunday, June 2nd.