The final results from the recent election in South Africa are set to be declared on Sunday, according to Mosotho Moepya, the chairman of the country’s election commission. Almost 99 per cent of the votes cast in the election, held on May 29th, have been counted so far. The current ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), received 40.2 per cent of the votes, a noticeable drop from their 57.5 per cent score in 2019’s election.
Jacob Zuma, the former South African president, has created a new party which gained 14.9 per cent of the votes, a significant achievement considering its recent formation just five months ago; it is now the third-largest party. Despite his party’s success, Zuma has maintained allegations of discrepancies in the vote count, even as it became evident that his new uMkhonto weSizwe Party had been chipping away at ANC’s base of support.
Zuma, who served as South Africa’s leader for nearly nine years amidst numerous scandals before being ousted by the ANC, stated that his party is aiming for a two-third majority. Zuma criticised potential interference, cautioning not to resort to “all the tricks”. There has been no confirmation of any inconsistencies in the vote count, according to the electoral commission of South Africa.
Notably, the ANC was unable to secure an absolute majority for the first time since they succeeded in overthrowing Africa’s last white-led government three decades ago. Despite being in a country plagued by one of the world’s highest unemployment rates, deficiencies in utilities, and an excessive crime rate, ANC still managed to outperform its competitors, though they are significantly distant from the nearly 58 per cent votes they garnered in the previous election.
The sharp decline of Africa’s oldest liberation movement has now placed one of the most stable nations and its largest economy on a potentially unstable and uncertain path. The party, internationally recognised for its association with Nelson Mandela, now faces the challenge of constructing a government in the next fortnight, possibly with one or more rivals who have previously criticised it and ruled out any alliance.
Maropene Ramokgopa, a high-ranking ANC official, expressed surprise, acknowledging that the party had overlooked something crucial. Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa’s President and ANC leader, finds his aspirations of holding office for a second term in jeopardy. His celebrated diplomatic finesse, which played a vital role in the dissolution of apartheid, will now be called upon to unite his divided party over potential political alliances. Critics are likely to attribute this significant downfall to Ramaphosa and might push for his substitution, possibly with his deputy, Paul Mashatile.