Nearly all votes counted in South Africa, ANC loses majority

More than 97 percent of the votes have been counted in South Africa and it is certain that the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party will lose its absolute majority. The party that has ruled the country since Nelson Mandela became president in 1994 has just won 40 percent of the vote. This means that the ANC must form a coalition with another party in order to continue to govern.

The largest opposition party, Democratic Alliance, received 21 percent of the votes, followed by former president Jacob Zuma’s party. His recently founded left-wing populist party uMkhonto we Sizwe captured more than 9 percent of the votes.

Due to a conviction for contempt of the judiciary, Zuma himself is not allowed to sit in parliament. He failed to show up for a court hearing in an investigation into corruption during his term in office (2009-2018). The law stipulates that anyone who has received a prison sentence of more than one year cannot become a parliamentarian.

Since the end of apartheid, the ANC has always won an absolute majority in national elections. But over the years, more and more people are turning away from the party.