ANC needs an ally to rule South Africa and it has 3 options
ANC needs an ally to rule South Africa and it has three options, but…
The African National Congress (ANC), the ruling party in South Africa, is dealing with a first-of-its-kind circumstance.
The African National Congress (ANC) has lost the legislative majority in elections for the first time since 1994, when South Africa entered the post-apartheid period.
Although it still has the ability to form government, the ANC can only do it by forming a coalition with allies. No alliance announcements have been made thus far, despite statements from the ANC and other parties indicating that they are considering their options and are amenable to coalitions.
The National Assembly (NA) of South Africa is required by the constitution to meet every two weeks.
How much do we know about the election outcomes in South Africa?
The AFP news agency reports that the ANC has only secured 159 seats out of the 400-member NA.
Even while the ANC’s total is far less than the 201-point majority, it has nevertheless become the largest party by far.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) party has 87 seats, followed by the MK party with 58 seats, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party with 39 seats, and the ANC with 87 seats.
The EEF and MK are socialist parties that advocate nationalizing banks and mines and advocating for the redistribution of land around the nation, in contrast to the DA, which is a center-right party that supports free-markers.
Former South African President Jacob Zuma, who once belonged to the ANC, now leads the MK party. Allegations of corruption are a constant burden for him. He disagrees with the election’s outcome.
Would there be a coalition government in South Africa?
The most likely course of action for the South African political system going forward appears to be a coalition government led by the ANC with assistance from one or more other parties. According to AFP, ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula said that the party was now engaged in “exploratory discussions” regarding forming a coalition administration.
Mbalula told the agency, “We talk to everybody.”
Mbalula added that the party wanted to close an agreement “as quickly as possible.”
John Steenhuisen, the leader of the Democratic Alliance, has stated that he is amenable to joining an ANC partnership. He was quoted by the news agency as suggesting that he would be open to serving in any administration, including a “Doomsday Coalition” led by the ANC, MK, and EFF.
As was already mentioned, the ideologies of these parties are very dissimilar. According to quotes, Steenhuisen called the MK and EFF’s electoral promises of nationalization and judicial meddling a “all-out assault on the constitution of our country.”
According to ANC’s Mbalula, the party “would work with anyone who wants to work with us but not with a cap in the hand,” as reported by Reuters on Monday.
According to the agency, the ANC has appointed 27 party officials to a working committee, which will convene on Tuesday to produce a presentation outlining the party’s choices. The party’s National Executive Committee would hear this presentation during their meeting on Wednesday.
Analysts, according to the agency, indicated that a coalition agreement between the ANC and the DA appeared to be the most likely result.
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