South Africa's ANC loses majority, needs allies

Source: The Nation

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa's ruling ANC faced a search for allies to help it form a new government Saturday after it lost its three-decade-old absolute majority in a watershed election.

With 99 percent of the votes from Wednesday's election counted, President Cyril Ramaphosa's African National Congress had only 40 percent, a catastrophic slump from the 57.5 it won in 2019. This marks an historic turning point for South Africa as the party has enjoyed an absolute majority since 1994, when liberation leader Nelson Mandela led the nation out of white-minority rule and into democracy.

The ANC must now either negotiate a coalition government, or at least persuade other parties to back Ramaphosa's re-election in parliament to allow him to form a minority government reliant on other parties for support to pass budgets and legislation.

"We have been talking with everybody even before the election," ANC's deputy secretary general Nomvula Mokonyane said, saying the party's NEC decision-making body would meet to decide on a course of action after final results are announced.

"It's about ensuring that the stability both in government and stability in our country."

She would not be drawn on whether the party might replace Ramaphosa after the party's record poor showing, saying: "For now, it's not an issue."