In a historic election, the African National Congress (ANC) has lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since the end of apartheid 30 years ago, setting South Africa on a new political course.
As of Saturday, with over 99 percent of votes counted, the once-dominant ANC had secured nearly 40 percent in Wednesday’s election. This falls significantly short of the majority it had maintained since the historic all-race vote in 1994 that ended apartheid and brought Nelson Mandela to power.
The main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), received 21.63 percent of the vote, while uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), a new party led by former president and ANC leader Jacob Zuma, secured 14.71 percent, drawing votes away from the ANC.
Opposition parties have celebrated the result as a significant breakthrough for a country grappling with deep poverty and inequality, though the ANC remains the largest party by a considerable margin.
“The way to rescue South Africa is to break the ANC’s majority, and we have done that,” said main opposition leader John Steenhuisen.
While the final results are yet to be officially declared by the independent Electoral Commission, it is clear that the ANC will not surpass the 50 percent mark.
