All eyes are fixed on South Africa’s Independent Electoral Commission as partial results from the national assembly election show the long-standing African National Congress party leading as of Thursday (May 30). Despite this, with only approximately 34% of the votes tallied by 6 PM UTC on Thursday, the picture remains preliminary following Wednesday’s voting.
This marks the first instance since the nation’s inaugural democratic elections in 1994 that the ruling ANC confronts the genuine prospect of relinquishing power.
Addressing the matter from Johannesburg on May 30, the First Deputy Secretary General of the ANC, Nomvula Mokonyane, noted that the initial results defy dire predictions. “Initial projections hovered around 36% to 40% for the ANC, and we are confident of surpassing that,” she remarked.
In the Western Cape, the Democratic Alliance holds the lead, while the newly established MK party, backed by former president Jacob Zuma, leads in Kwazulu-Natal.
Opposing parties have criticized what they perceive as the ANC’s arrogance, with Sihle Ngubane, the Secretary General of the uMkhonto weSizwe party, asserting that “economically, they have failed.”
According to political analyst Joleen Steyn-kotze, it remains premature to ascertain whether the ANC’s vote share will dip below the 50% threshold. Nonetheless, irrespective of the outcome, South African political parties may need to reconsider their modus operandi. “We need to transition towards a more collaborative relationship among political entities, potentially necessitated by the reality of having to work together,” she commented.
Should no single party secure a majority, coalitions will become imperative under South Africa’s parliamentary system to determine the presidency.
In the provincial legislature, partial results afford the ANC a comfortable majority.
Of South Africa’s 62 million inhabitants, nearly 28 million were registered to participate in the election.
The Electoral Commission is slated to announce the final results and seat allocations for the national assembly and provincial legislatures within seven days of the election.
