The ruling party in South Africa lost its majority in parliament after 30 years.

Since the first democratic election held in South Africa in 1994, the African National Congress (ANC), which has been in power, has lost its majority in parliament after 30 years. Unofficial initial results of the parliamentary elections held in the Republic of South Africa on Tuesday, May 29, were announced. According to the statement made by the South African Electoral Commission (IEC), 99.5% of the votes have been counted so far. The African National Congress (ANC), which came to power in the first democratic election held in 1994 when the discriminatory and racist apartheid regime ended, received 40.21% of the votes and lost its majority in parliament for the first time in 30 years. The main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), came second with 21.63% of the votes. In third place was the Spear of the Nation (MK) led by former President Jacob Zuma with 14.61% of the votes. The voter turnout rate remained at 58.59%.
The President is elected by the National Assembly. In South Africa, the President is elected based on a simple majority vote in the National Assembly, not by the public. Parties gain seats in parliament based on the percentage of votes they receive, and Members of Parliament then elect the President after the election. The African National Congress (ANC), the party of the first democratically elected President Nelson Mandela after the end of the apartheid regime in 1994, has had a majority in parliament for 30 years. However, the initial results indicate that the current President Cyril Ramaphosa’s ANC has failed to secure a majority for the first time. As no party has reached the necessary majority to govern the country, a coalition government is expected to be formed in the country.
In the last election held in 2019, the ANC had received 57.5% of the vote. In recent years, due to economic downturn, increased unemployment, and ongoing power cuts, support for the ruling party has decreased.