South Africa’s ruling party the African National Congress (ANC) is all set to win a substantial majority in the recently held national election despite being in question over corruption allegations, high unemployment and racial inequalities in the country. The people voted Wednesday in South Africa’s sixth national election since the formation of its democratic government 25 years ago.
According to partial results released by the country’s electoral commission, the ANC shows a strong lead with just over 57 percent of the national vote, with three-quarters of the vote counted. The centrist Democratic Alliance (DA) had about 23 percent and the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party was nearing 10 percent, reported CNN.
The result shows the voter support for Nelson Mandela’s party, which has ruled since the fall of apartheid in the mid-1990s, is dwindling. The falling support means that it will be harder for ANC to work on its agenda including bolstering the flagging economy.
The ANC has a record of getting over 60 percent voter support in all the elections held so far. In the previous election, in 2014, the ANC won with 62 percent of voter support. In 2009, the party won 66 percent of the vote, while in 2004 it got close to 70 percent of the vote. But this time, the party looks set to dip below the psychological barrier of 60 percent support.
The final results are expected to be announced on Saturday. But, the final vote announcement might likely get delayed, as the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) investigates claims of voter fraud. The election body said that it will only announce the final vote when it is 100 percent confident in the integrity of the numbers. There are claims that some people voted twice, due to ID and ink issues.
