South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on all political parties to collaborate for the nation's benefit after the African National Congress (ANC) lost its parliamentary majority in the recent elections. "South Africans expect the parties for which they have voted to find common ground, to overcome their differences, to act and work together for the good of everyone," Ramaphosa stated after the electoral commission announced the final results.
"Our people expect all parties to work together within the framework of our constitution and address whatever challenges we encounter peacefully and in accordance with the prescripts of our constitution and the rule of law."
Ramaphosa described the elections as "a victory for our democracy, for our constitutional order, and for all the people of South Africa." He emphasised that the political leadership had "heard the voices of our people and must respect their wishes," adding that all parties had adhered to the "fundamental principles of democracy" during the campaign.
On Sunday evening, the country's Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) announced that the ANC secured 159 seats in the National Assembly, falling short of the 200 seats needed to maintain its 30-year dominance. The Democratic Alliance (DA) followed with 87 seats, the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party with 58 seats, and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) with 39 seats, according to the official results released by the IEC at the Results Operation Center (ROC) in Midrand, Johannesburg.
Over 27 million South Africans participated in the 2024 national and provincial elections on May 29 to elect a new National Assembly and provincial legislatures. The results revealed that no party achieved an outright majority in the National Assembly.
IEC Chairperson Mosotho Moepya declared the 2024 general elections "free and fair," despite describing them as "the most difficult and highly contested elections" since the end of apartheid in 1994. Moepya acknowledged that there had been attempts to undermine the IEC's credibility.
Following the official announcement, the newly elected National Assembly has 14 days to convene its first sitting, where members will elect South Africa's president for the next five years by a simple majority.
