South Africa’s governing African National Congress (ANC) lost its 30-year-old outright majority in this week’s election, securing only 159 seats in the 400-seat parliament, according to official results released on Sunday.
President Cyril Ramaphosa and leaders from most rival parties attended the announcement. However, former president Jacob Zuma, signaling his intention to challenge the results, was notably absent.
No single party achieved a majority in the National Assembly. The ANC won 159 seats with 40 percent of the vote, followed by the centre-right Democratic Alliance (DA) with 87 seats and 22 percent. Zuma’s newly-formed radical party, uMkonto weSizwe (MK), captured 58 seats with 14.59 percent of the vote but has denounced the election process.
“Our people have spoken, whether we like it or not, they have spoken,” Ramaphosa said. “As the leaders of political parties, as all those who occupy positions of responsibility in society, we have heard the voices of our people and we must respect their wishes.”
DA leader John Steenhuisen has expressed readiness to negotiate a coalition government with the ANC and other parties to prevent Zuma’s return to power. While Steenhuisen and other party leaders attended the results announcement hosted by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), Zuma did not.
Nhlamulo Ndhlela, MK spokesperson, stated that attending the event would be “tantamount to endorsing an illegal declaration.”
