Victory in sight for ANC
South African ruling party to win polls but with diminished support
PRETORIA: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s ruling ANC was in touching distance of election victory but with diminished support, complicating efforts to revive the country’s flagging economy and fight corruption, results showed.
The African National Congress (ANC), in power since 1994, held a very comfortable lead with nearly 57% after three-quarters of voting districts were officially tallied following Wednesday’s vote.
But the result would be the party’s worst national showing since Nelson Mandela led the ANC to victory in the first multi-racial polls after apartheid ended in 1994.
Ramaphosa, 66, took over last year when the party forced then-president Jacob Zuma to resign after nine years dominated by corruption allegations.
“We’re going to be the government, whether there is decline or increase,” said the ANC’s chairman Gwede Mantashe late on Thursday.
Results released by the IEC showed the ANC’s closest rival, the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) trailing with a distant 22% of the vote.
The Economic Freedom Fighters, founded six years ago by former ANC youth leader Julius Malema, was in third place with almost 10%.
Final results are expected to be officially certified today.
A new projection by South Africa’s respected Council for Scientific and Industrial Research forecast the ANC would win with 57% – a five percentage point drop from the last election in 2014.
Jessie Duarte, the ANC deputy secretary-general, said the partial results were neither a “disappointment” nor a “surprise”.
“What I think is important to recognise is the deepening of our democracy,” she said.
The party that wins the most seats in parliament selects the president, who will be sworn in on May 25.
“This is an election that will really offer the ANC a last chance to kickstart economic growth,” said analyst Daniel Silke.
“The pressure is really on Ramaphosa in the next five years.”
Ramaphosa has so far faced resistance to his reform agenda, especially from Zuma’s allies who still occupy several high-ranking positions in the party and government.
After casting his ballot on Wednesday, Ramaphosa said the election was “heralding a new dawn ... a period of renewal, a period of hope”.
The ANC’s reputation was badly sullied under Zuma. Its support has fallen in every election since 2004 with the party taking 54% in 2016 municipal elections, compared with 62% in 2014’s national vote. — AFP