Cyril Ramaphosa re-elected as South Africa’s president

South African President and ANC leader Cyril Ramaphosa has been re-elected for a second term, after his party signed a coalition agreement with a former political opponent just hours earlier.

In South Africa, the president is elected by the National Assembly, one of the houses of parliament. Ramaphosa was running against a surprise candidate, Julius Malema of the left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters.

Ramaphosa won the vote convincingly: he received 283 votes, Malema 44. The National Assembly has 400 members.

Marathon session

The 71-year-old Ramaphosa secured his second five-year term with the help of MPs from the country’s second-largest party, the Democratic Alliance, and several smaller parties. He needed that support because his own party, the ANC, lost the majority in the elections two weeks ago.

During a marathon session, the ANC reached a last-minute deal with the Democratic Alliance. The parties will now form a government together, the first coalition in South Africa in which no party has a majority in parliament. Two smaller parties also joined the coalition.

Hardest critic

The ANC’s cooperation with the Democratic Alliance is striking. For years the DA was the main opposition party and the fiercest critic of the ANC.

Ramaphosa called the deal “the birth of a new era for our country” and said it was time for the parties to put aside their differences and work together. “This is what we will do and what I want to achieve as president,” said the ANC leader.