South Africans are set to vote on Wednesday in what is expected to be the most competitive contested election since the end of apartheid. Opinion polls indicate that the African National Congress (ANC) could lose its parliamentary majority for the first time in 30 years.
Led by Nelson Mandela, the ANC secured power in the country’s inaugural multi-racial election in 1994 and has maintained a majority in subsequent national elections.
However, its share of the vote has steadily declined over time. If the ANC falls short of 50% in this election, it will need to form a coalition government with one or more smaller parties, a scenario that South Africa, as a relatively young democracy, has not experienced before.
Despite the ANC’s anticipated loss of seats, President Cyril Ramaphosa is likely to retain his position, unless internal challenges arise due to the party’s performance falling below expectations.
With mounting discontent over unemployment, crime rates, frequent power outages, and internal corruption within party ranks, the ANC faces a gradual decline.
Over 27 million South Africans are registered to vote across more than 23,000 polling stations, operating from 0500 GMT to 1900 GMT.
Alongside electing provincial assemblies in each of the nine provinces, voters will select a new national parliament, tasked with choosing the next president.
The pro-business Democratic Alliance, which secured the second-largest vote share in 2019, is among the opposition parties competing for power. It has forged an alliance with several smaller parties to expand its influence.
Additionally, the Economic Freedom Fighters, founded by a former leader of the ANC’s youth wing, advocate for nationalizing mines and banks and redistributing land from white farmers to address racial and economic inequalities.
Former President Jacob Zuma is throwing his weight behind a new party called uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), named after the ANC’s former armed wing.
Despite stepping down as president in 2018 amidst numerous scandals, Zuma remains influential, particularly in his native province of KwaZulu-Natal.
As polling stations close, the election commission is expected to begin releasing preliminary results. While the commission has up to seven days to announce the final outcome, in the previous election, which also occurred on a Wednesday, final results were announced on a Saturday.
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