SA polls: Despite early lead, ANC projected to lose parliament majority

May 30, 2024 12:12 pm

8 May 2019: Residents of Barcelona in Ekhuruleni were late to rise on a cold election morning but eventually came out in their numbers to make their mark. Election day in Ekhuruleni. Photograph by Madelene Cronjé

South Africa’s national broadcaster eNCA has projected that the ruling African National Congress (ANC) will fall short of securing a majority of seats in parliament.

The country runs a multiparty parliamentary democracy in which constitutional power is shared between the president and parliament.

For a party to win the elections, it has to secure 50 percent of votes.

The ANC has won all national elections since the end of apartheid in 1994 when Nelson Mandela became the country’s first black president.

With results trickling in on Wednesday night after early voting, the ANC has so far garnered 42.58 percent of votes cast.

But analysts say the early win is only a mirage for a party witnessing dwindling support due to constant power cuts, rise in violent crimes, widespread poverty, and unemployment.

In the 2019 election, the ANC achieved its lowest victory margin of 57.5 percent.

The country’s national broadcaster said the party is likely to record diminishing returns in the May 29 polls and may fall below the cut off mark.

According to the projection, the party is likely to secure only 45 percent of votes, while Democratic Alliance (DA), the main opposition party, will poll second with 21 percent.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is projected to clinch the third position with 11 percent.

Latest results from the country’s electoral commission show the ANC with 42.91 percent, while the DA has 25.13 percent.

The EFF has 8.65 percent.