In South Africa, there are 26.2 million voters who are registered, while 42.6 million individuals are eligible to vote, with more than 40% of them opting not participate.
When were the last elections held?
On May 8, 2019, South Africa had general elections to choose a new President, National Assembly, and provincial legislatures in each province. The results of the sixth presidential election to be conducted in South Africa after the end of apartheid in 1994 decided the winner.
Which side won?
The African National Congress, which is now led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, sought to maintain its majority position and give Ramaphosa a full time in office; his predecessor, Jacob Zuma, resigned from office on February 14, 2018. Due to the South African Constitution’s restriction of two five-year terms for presidents, Zuma was already ineligible for a third term.
Which party won the National assembly?
The African National Congress (ANC), which is in power, won the National Assembly election with a majority of 57.50%, down from 62.15% in the 2014 election. Since winning 62.65% of the vote in the election following the end of apartheid in 1994, this was also the ANC’s lowest vote share. While the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) dramatically increased, rising from 6.35% to 10.80%, the Democratic Alliance (DA), the official opposition, fell from 22.23% to 20.77%. The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) saw its first increase since 1994, going from 2.40% to 3.38%. Additionally, the Freedom Front Plus (FF+) increased from 0.9% to 2.38%, which is its biggest vote share ever.
The ANC won eight of the nine provincial legislatures, but for the first time since 1994, it lost its two-thirds majority in the National Council of Provinces. While defeating the Democratic Alliance to second place in Mpumalanga, the EFF maintained its status as the recognized opposition in Limpopo and the North West. In four provinces the ANC won, the DA came in second. The Inkatha Freedom Party increased to 3.38% nationally and defeated the DA to second place in KwaZulu-Natal for the first time since 2014. The Democratic Alliance had a decrease from 59.38% to 55.45% in the Western Cape, the lone province not won by the ANC.
