South Africa’s next government is anticipated to be a coalition between the ruling African National Congress (ANC) and at least one opposition party, following the ANC’s loss in Wednesday’s election, marking the first time it failed to secure a majority.
The preliminary results, to be confirmed by Sunday, indicate the ANC with less than 42% of the vote. The leading opposition party, the centrist Democratic Alliance, has garnered nearly 23% of the vote. The radical Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have slipped to fourth place with just under 10%, while the newly formed, Zulu-dominated party of former President Jacob Zuma, Umkhonto we Sizwe (“Spear of the Nation,” or MK), has achieved a solid 12% in third place.
Another possibility is that the ANC and the DA could overcome their two-and-a-half-decade political rivalry to form a “moderate” coalition, leaving ethnic, nationalist, and communist parties in the opposition.
Though this combination is the least likely, it might do the most to reassure investors and the international community that South Africa could maintain economic stability despite the new political uncertainty domestically.
