ANC faces bruising defeat in South African local elections
The gist
South Africa's ruling ANC was on about 32 percent with 80 percent of local election votes counted.
The result, nearly 14 points below 2021, signals voter mood before 2029.
How it unfolded
- 2004The ANC took nearly 70 percent of the national vote.
- 2021The ANC won 46 percent in the municipal elections, falling below 50 percent for the first time.
- 2024At the national elections the ANC lost its parliamentary majority for the first time, managing just more than 40 percent, and was forced into a unity government with nine other parties including the DA.
Key terms
- ANC
- A South African political party that began as an anti-apartheid liberation movement and has governed the country since 1994.
- apartheid
- A system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa from 1948 to 1994.
- unity government
- A broad coalition government including all or most major parties in a legislature, often formed in emergencies to preserve stability.
Source: Wikipedia