CNN
South Africa’s ruling African National Congress party is set to fall short of a majority for the first time in 30 years after national elections this week, marking the biggest political shift in the country since the end of apartheid.
With results in from 90% of voting districts as of 5.10 pm ET, support for the ANC was at 41.04%. The official opposition party, the centrist Democratic Alliance (DA), had 21.72% of the vote.
Behind them were two ANC splinter parties: the newly formed uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK), led by Zuma, had 13.69% of the votes, and the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) had 9.46%, data from the country’s electoral commission showed.
Fed-up voters dealt the party of Nelson Mandela a seismic blow at the polls after years of corruption scandals and economic mismanagement. As a result, the ANC will be forced to form a coalition to govern the world’s most unequal country.
Electoral workers prepare to open the voting station as voters line up to cast their ballot for general elections in Alexandra, near Johannesburg, South Africa, Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe) Themba Hadebe/AP
Cyril Ramaphosa, the president of South Africa and the ANC – and once Mandela’s favorite to succeed him as leader – promised a “new dawn” when he took over in 2018 from disgraced former president Jacob Zuma.
But many feel those promises never materialized and the election results reflect a population deeply frustrated with the country’s direction. South Africans could now face weeks of political uncertainty, as the ANC seeks to strike a coalition deal with former rivals.
