ANC keeps power in South Africa but scandals cost it votes

South African President and leader of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party, Cyril Ramaphosa speaks at the announcement of results of the country’s parliamentary and provincial elections in Pretoria, South Africa, 11 May – Reuters

PRETORIA (Reuters): The African National Congress easily won South Africa’s general election on Saturday but its share of the vote fell, reflecting anger at corruption scandals and racial inequalities that remain entrenched a generation after the party took power.

It was the worst electoral performance by the late Nelson Mandela’s former liberation movement, which has governed South Africa since the country’s first free election marked the end of white minority rule in 1994.

The ANC had not previously won less than 60% of the vote in a national poll.

The ANC’s victory secures it enough seats in parliament to give President Cyril Ramaphosa another five-year term in office but may leave him short of ammunition to battle party rivals who oppose his reforms to galvanise the economy and counter graft.

“Let us now work together, black and white, men and women, young and old to build a South Africa that truly belongs to all that live in it,” he said in a speech after his party was declared the winner.

Results showed the ANC secured 57.5% of the parliamentary vote, while the main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), also saw its vote share fall.

The DA picked up 20.8% and the leftist Economic Freedom Fighters took 10.8%, the Independent Electoral Commission said on its website.

In 2014, the ANC won 62% of votes, the DA 22% and the EFF 6%.

The turnout for Wednesday’s vote was markedly lower than at the last election in 2014, falling to 66% from 73.5%, the electoral commission said.

The ANC’s seats in the 400-member parliament fell to 230 from 249. The main opposition Democratic Alliance also saw its number of seats fall to 84 from 89, while the leftist Economic Freedom Fighters gained 19 seats to 44. South Africa uses a system of proportional representation.

The DA’s communications director MabineSeabe said the party viewed the outcome as “a positive result. We’ve grown in communities we’ve never grown before”.

ANC Chairman GwedeMantashe said the party had received “another lifeline” from voters. He said the party had improved compared with the 54% it won in the 2016 local government poll.

“So we are picking up from that disaster,” he said.

Election officials said voting was generally smooth.

But 27 smaller parties, of 48 that ran in total, alleged irregularities and threatened legal action, which the electoral commission said it would oppose. International observers said the elections were free and fair.