Early results in South Africa’s elections appeared to show the country heading for its biggest political shift since the end of apartheid, with the ruling African National Congress (ANC) on course to lose its parliamentary majority for the first time.
The party of Nelson Mandela had gathered 42.5 per cent of the vote with results in from 13 per cent of polling stations.
The opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) was in second place with 26.1 per cent and the Marxist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) on 8.4%, according to a running tally from the electoral commission.
The ANC has governed alone since the 1994 election of Mr Mandela and must gain more than 50 per cent of the vote to avoid having to seek coalition partners.
Long queues at polling stations across the country on Wednesday signalled a high and peaceful turnout in the country’s seventh election since the end of white-rule.
High levels of unemployment and crime, crumbling infrastructure and public services, and disillusion among many poor blacks that they have not benefited from the end of apartheid, have all eaten away at ANC support in recent years.
Unemployment is at 33 per cent overall, but far higher for the young. The murder rate is around 85 per day.
If the final results were to resemble the early picture, the ANC would remain by far the largest party in the country, but would be forced to make a deal with one or more other parties to govern.
Poor showing could spark leadership challenge
The early results came despite the president, Cyril Ramaphosa, on Wednesday insisting he thought his ANC could still win an outright majority.
“I have no doubt whatsoever in my heart of hearts that the people will once again invest confidence in the African National Congress to continue to lead this country,” he said as he voted in Soweto.
His failure to pass the 50 per cent threshold would trigger two weeks of intense coalition horse-trading.
The new parliament must convene within 14 days of final results being declared and its first act must be to elect the nation’s president.
That president is likely to remain as Mr Ramaphosa, though a particularly poor showing could make him vulnerable to a leadership challenge from within party ranks.
The DA has built its own coalition of smaller parties in what has been called a “moonshot pact” to bring down the incumbents.
Yet it is unclear if that pact will hold if the ANC starts trying to poach smaller parties to join a coalition.
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