The ANC wins in South Africa, but loses its absolute majority with the worst result in thirty years

South Africa’s ruling party, the historic African National Congress (ANC), won Wednesday’s general election with 40.12%, but has lost the absolute majority it has ruled with since Nelson Mandela came to power in 1994, according to the preliminary results with almost 98 percent. % of votes counted.

With a count of 97.73%, according to the latest data from the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), the ANC achieves its worst result in thirty years, which will force the president: Cyril Ramaphosato agree with other formations to opt for a second five-year term.

It will be the first time that the CNA (with 57.5% in 2019) has not achieved an absolute majority since South Africa’s first multiracial elections after the end of the segregationist ‘apartheid’ regime in 1994, when Mandela became the country’s first black president.

Secondly, it maintains the Democratic Alliance (AD, liberal centre-right) by John Steenhuisen, with 21.72% of the votes, which would slightly improve the result of 2019, when he obtained 20.77%.

Third place is occupied by uMkhonto weSizwe (MK Party), the new party of former president Jacob Zuma (2009-2018), with 14.80%, whose performance significantly influenced the division of the ANC vote.

The Constitutional Court prevented Zuma (sentenced in 2021 to 15 months in prison for contempt) from participating in these elections in the middle of the campaign, but his organization still took third place from Julius Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF, far left) , which stood out before the elections as the country’s third force and is in fourth place with 9.39%.

Nearly 28 million South Africans went to the polls last Wednesday.

The IEC sets the speed of provisional participation in 58.59%below the 66% of 2019, despite the palpable enthusiasm among the population.

Although the Electoral Commission has seven days to announce the official results, it will announce them this weekend.