The African National Congress (ANC) wins the election but loses the absolute majority
South Africa’s ruling party, the historic African National Congress (ANC), has won Wednesday’s general election, but has lost the absolute majority with which it has governed since Nelson Mandela came to power in 1994, according to the first results published by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). With the vote still at 13.45%, the downward trend predicted by the pre-election polls continues and the CNA currently falls to 42.49%. This means that the president, Cyril Ramaphosa, will have to agree with other formations to opt for a second term of five more years.
Changes in the South African political landscape
Although since 2004 electoral results have worsened election after election for the CNA, in the 2019 general elections it managed to retain a large majority of 57.5%. But this time, if the current trend continues, the CNA would lose about fifteen points, ceasing to have an absolute majority. This would be historic as it would be the first time the ANC failed to win an absolute majority since South Africa’s first multi-racial election after the end of apartheid in 1994, when Mandela became the first black president of the country.
Other political parties in the electoral landscape
In second place is the Democratic Alliance (AD), a liberal centre-right party led by John Steenhuisen, with 26.12% of the vote, improving on its result in 2019. The AD is the main opposition party and has traditionally been associated with the vote of the white minority, which represents 7.70% of the South African population. In third place are the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a far-left party led by Julius Malema, with 8.40% of the vote. And in fourth place is uMkhonto weSizwe (Party MK), the new party of former president Jacob Zuma, with 7.75% of the support.
Factors that have influenced the results
The election results reflect several factors that have influenced the South African political landscape. The emergence of the MK Party, led by Jacob Zuma, has contributed to the division of the vote in the ANC, which has also been affected by cases of corruption and problems affecting the country, such as high unemployment, crime and power cuts . In addition, nearly 28 million South Africans were called to vote in these elections, with a record number of registered voters. The enthusiasm of the population was evident, although official participation figures have not yet been published.
Conclusion
In short, the ANC has won the elections in South Africa, but lost the absolute majority. This marks a significant change in the country’s political landscape. President Cyril Ramaphosa will have to seek alliances with other parties in order to run for a second term. In addition, other political formations such as the Democratic Alliance, the Fighters for Economic Freedom and the MK Party have obtained outstanding results in these elections. The results reflect several factors that influenced South Africans’ vote. We will now have to wait for the official results announced by the Independent Electoral Commission.