How Does South Africa Elect its President?
Presidents aren’t directly voted in by the South African electorate. Here’s how the country’s next leader will be elected after this week’s general election.
Voters during the South Africa General Elections at Igugu Primary School on May 29, 2024 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Counting of votes is underway after millions of South Africans cast their ballots in the seventh general election since the dawn of South African democracy in 1994. This year’s polls are expected to be the most competitive in modern South African history, with the ruling African National Congress (ANC) losing its dominant majority in parliament and its grip over executive powers.
South Africans don’t directly vote for their president, they instead vote for political parties to fill 400 seats in the National Assembly. The huge implication of the result of the national election is that a president is then elected by the new and returning members of the National Assembly from within themselves. A simple majority of 201 is what the presdient elect needs from the National Assembly.
In the last six elections, the leader of the ANC has been elected as president because of the party winning over 50 percent of the seats in parliament. The same scenario is now highly unlikely according to pre-election polls and observers. The ANC is not expected to win up to 200 National Assembly seats in this election. If it falls short of the 50 percent or higher mark, it means the party will need to form a coalition with one or more opposition parties in order to muster enough votes to re-elect incumbent President Cyril Ramaphosa.
As with the national election, parties are voted for in the provincial elections, and the new provincial members of Parliament (MPs) elect a premier from within themselves, who will run the government of the province. Another function of the provincial MPs is that they appoint 10 delegates each, who will form the National Council of Provinces, which joins the National Assembly as one of the two South African Houses of Parliament.
Disillusion with the ANC has been growing for years, as South Africans believe the party has not been able to properly develop their country into an economically equitable society. Leading up to this year’s elections, primary issues included the lack of reliable electricity, alarming unemployment rates, a widening wealth gap, public taps running dry, rampant corruption and more.
The dissatisfaction with the ANC has strengthened support for opposition parties like the Democratic Alliance (DA), the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the Jacob Zuma-backed uMkhonto weSizwe (MK Party).
In total, the Electoral Commission of South Africa cleared 14,889 candidates across 70 political parties and 11 independents. According to reports, the DA has signed a pact with 10 other parties to form a coalition government if the party can get enough votes to dislodge the ANC.
As of 8 p.m GMT+2, results from 27 percent of the voting districts have been announced, and the ANC is leading with 43 percent, followed by the DA with 25 percent. The EFF has garnered 9 percent of the votes so far, and the MK Party is at 8 percent. Results from more voting districts will be announced in coming days, with the full results expected sometime over the weekend.
According to the South African Constitution, the newly elected National Assembly will meet within 14 days of results being announced to vote for the president.
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