The African National Congress (ANC), South Africa’s ruling party, lost its parliamentary majority on Saturday in a historic election that sets the country on a new political path for the first time since the end of apartheid.
Unprecedented results
With nearly 99 per cent of the votes counted, the ANC received just over 40 per cent of the vote in Wednesday’s election, a significant drop from the party’s majority since the historic 1994 election that ended apartheid and brought the party to power under Nelson Mandela’s leadership.
Waiting for final results
The final results have yet to be officially announced by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), which administered the election. The Electoral Commission indicated on Friday that election results are expected to be announced by Sunday. South Africans are eagerly awaiting to find out whether their country, Africa’s most advanced economy, will ‘see a significant change or not’.
A referendum on party rule
The election is seen as a direct referendum on the ANC’s three-decade rule. Although the party played a pivotal role in liberating South Africa from apartheid in the 1994 elections, it has seen a steady decline in popularity over the past 20 years.
From the website: FasNews