Worst election result for ANC since abolition of apartheid

The South African ruling party ANC has had its worst election result since the abolition of apartheid in 1994. In municipal elections, the party received only 46 percent of the vote. That is considerably less than the previous low, in 2016, when the party of the late Nelson Mandela managed to attract only 54 percent of the voters.

Teased by the corruption scandals of recent years and punished for the lack of solutions for the poor basic services in large parts of the country, the ANC has seen its power dwindle for some time. The fact that support has fallen below 50 percent is a hard blow for the party that has been by far the largest in South Africa for almost three decades.

For a long time it was unthinkable that the ANC would have to share power at the national level in a coalition or be forced to step into the opposition. That moment has not yet been reached, but that also has to do with the fact that the main opponents of the ANC are still attracting fewer voters, despite the ANC’s steady decline.

Exceptionally low turnout

This is also the case with these municipal elections. The country’s second party, the Democratic Alliance (DA) – synonymous with the privileged white minority for many South Africans – is stuck at 22 percent of the vote. The third party, the radical-left Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) of Julius Malema, which has a black following, also does not go beyond 10 percent.

Most voters did not go to the polls at all. Election day was designated as a public holiday to encourage people to vote, but only 47 percent of eligible voters cast a vote. That is more than 10 percent less than in the previous elections, and is explained as an alarming signal about the lack of political commitment from voters.

Coalitions in Cities

For the ANC, the results of these municipal elections mainly mean that the party has less influence in municipal councils and is also allowed to supply fewer mayors in large and small cities. President Ramaphosa acknowledges that this will inevitably mean that his party will have to form coalitions in major cities.

“If we want to make this a new and better era, we as leaders will have to put aside our differences and work together,” the president said. No party has managed to win an absolute majority in at least sixty municipal councils. New, smaller parties, such as ActionSA in Johannesburg, can therefore play an important role in coalition building.

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