South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged the country’s political parties to collaborate for the nation’s benefit following the African National Congress’s (ANC) loss of its parliamentary majority for the first time.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The election results, announced on Sunday, mark the worst performance for the ANC since it ended apartheid 30 years ago.
Voters, frustrated by unemployment, inequality, and power outages, reduced support for the ANC to 40.2 percent, a significant drop from the 57.5 percent it received in the 2019 parliamentary elections.
The main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), received 21.6 percent of the vote, while the newly formed uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), led by former president Jacob Zuma, secured 14.7 percent, drawing voters away from the ANC.
The ANC won 159 seats in the 400-seat National Assembly, down from 230 previously. Ramaphosa emphasized the need for political unity, stating, “South Africans expect the parties for which they have voted to find common ground, overcome their differences, and act together for the good of everyone. That’s what South Africans have said.”
He called the election a “victory for our democracy” and stressed, “This is the time for all of us to put South Africa first.”
Al Jazeera’s Mike Hanna reported from the Results Operation Centre in Midrand that the ANC must now seek coalition partners to form a new government or attempt to govern as a minority, which would complicate legislative processes and policy implementation.
ANC officials acknowledged the humbling result, with Secretary General Fikile Mbalula admitting past mistakes and committing to forming a stable government. Despite the poor showing, the ANC leadership supports Ramaphosa and dismisses speculation about his stepping down due to coalition demands or internal challenges.
Political parties have two weeks to negotiate a coalition before the new parliament convenes to elect a president, likely from the ANC as it remains the largest party. Local media reports suggest that the DA and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) might enter a cooperation pact with the ANC, potentially supporting key decisions in exchange for parliamentary positions.
Political analyst Melanie Verwoerd noted that the ANC would likely seek alliances with multiple parties, including the IFP, to avoid the perception of aligning solely with the DA, which is often viewed as a predominantly white party.
The ANC’s leadership will meet on Tuesday to discuss the path forward.
