SA VOTING: ANC loses parliamentary majority for first time

SOUTH AFRICA: With nearly all ballots counted, early results show that South Africa’s governing African National Congress (ANC) has garnered only 40 percent of the vote. According to the BBC, 99 percent of voting districts have been declared so far.

Through its website, the broadcaster termed the results as “calamitous for a party that Nelson Mandela led to a resounding victory after the end of the racist system of apartheid in 1994.”

ALSO READ: South Africa election results show ANC set to lose majority

The results show that the party has lost its parliamentary majority for the first time, but the extent of the loss will come as a huge shock to President Cyril Ramaphosa and his party. Many pundits predicted that the party would come close to 50% and, in the worst-case scenario, close to 45%. The ANC now stands at 40% after results from 97% of voting districts were declared by the electoral commission.

The party will be forced to enter into a coalition, ushering in a new era for South African politics. The elections were held on 29 May.

SUMMARY|| BBC

• The party once led by Nelson Mandela hit by worst election result since apartheid ended 30 years ago
• With results from 99% of voting districts declared the ANC has 40%
• This is a steep fall since the last election when it got 57%
• This means it will have to share power with one or more parties
• ANC leaders are preparing for complex coalition talks
• The centre-right Democratic Alliance (DA) remains the second-largest party with 22%
• The new MK party, led by ex-President Jacob Zuma, is in third place with 15%
• It replaces the radical EFF whose share of the vote falls to 9%
• The distribution of seats in the 400-member National Assembly directly reflects the vote share