South African President Cyril Ramaphosa met with senior officials of the African National Congress (ANC) on Thursday to discuss forming a government after the party lost its majority and left a post-election deadlock.
The ANC’s National Executive Committee met in Johannesburg to address a split within the party over which direction to take.
The ANC lost its long-held majority in last week’s vote but remained the largest party, needing an agreement with others to run the country.
The ANC is leaning towards a government of national unity, bringing together many political parties, rather than a direct coalition with the main opposition, the Democratic Alliance (DA).
“We want to bring everybody on board,” said ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula. A government of national unity is being proposed to the NEC, but debate and disagreement are expected.
The ANC, once led by Nelson Mandela, freed South Africa from apartheid and won the country’s first all-race vote in 1994.
It has seen a gradual decline in support over the last 20 years as South Africa struggles with poverty, unemployment, and inequality. The National Executive Committee, comprising over 80 top officials, will decide the direction forward.
There is no guarantee that other parties will accept a government of national unity, even as political leaders face time pressure to decide on the way forward.
The newly elected Parliament must sit for the first time by June 16, with electing a president as one of its first priorities. President Ramaphosa is seeking a second term, and the agreement will decide if he is reelected.
South African elections determine the number of seats each party gets in Parliament, and lawmakers then elect the president. With the ANC winning only 40% of the vote and losing its parliamentary majority, it needs others to join with it to reelect Ramaphosa for his final term.
A coalition between the ANC and the centrist DA had been seen as the likeliest option, as the two would hold a clear majority after the DA won the second-biggest share of the vote with 21%. However, the ANC is exploring other options, and the outcome remains uncertain.
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