SA polls: Ramaphosa’s ANC takes early lead in keenly contested race

Early results from South Africa’s electoral commission show the ruling African National Congress (ANC) in the lead.

ANC is the political party of President Cyril Ramaphosa who is seeking re-election.

Results started trickling in Wednesday night after millions of South Africans went to the polls for national and provincial elections that could test the ANC’s 30-year hold on power.

Although final results are expected on Sunday, the ANC has so far garnered 42.58 percent of votes cast, with the Democratic Alliance (DA) coming second with 25.82 percent.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) are in third place with 8.47 percent, while the newly formed uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party backed by former President Jacob Zuma, who was part of the ANC until he was suspended in January, has 7.83 percent of the votes.

HOW VOTING WORKS IN SOUTH AFRICA

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

The president is not directly elected by the public. Citizens cast a single ballot for their preferred party.

The seats are allocated based on the percentage of votes each party receives. For example, if a party gets 15 percent of the votes, it gets 15 percent of the seats.

After the election, the newly elected members of the national assembly nominate one of their own for the presidency.

If only one candidate is nominated, they are declared elected. If multiple candidates are nominated, the national assembly holds a vote and the nominee who receives a majority of votes becomes president.

THE CHALLENGE BEFORE ANC

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

However, the party began to witness dwindling support following constant power blackouts, rise in violent crimes, widespread poverty, and unemployment.

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

DA, the main opposition party, has come second in the past five elections.

Zuma, 82, was barred from contesting the parliamentary poll but he remains the face of the MK party. The former president’s name was still on the ballot during the polls.

Analysts say the ANC is likely to face a tough challenge with retaining its parliamentary majority.

The party would probably engage in frenzied negotiations with other parties to establish some kind of coalition before parliament convenes — should it lose its majority.