The What and the Why of South Africa's 'Historic' National Election

Cape Town: South Africa held a national election Wednesday that could be country's most hotly contested in 30 years, with long-ruling African National Congress party facing a stern test to hold onto its majority. ANC has been majority party and in government ever since end of South Africa's aparid system of white minority rule and establishment of democracy in 1994 and has held presidency since n.

Under South African political system, people vote for parties and not directly for president in ir national elections. two processes are separate, even though y are linked: Voters choose parties to decide makeup of Parliament and lawmakers n elect president.

Here's a guide to main election in Africa's most vanced country and why it might be complicated this time for Parliament to choose president.

Election

election took place on just one day, with polls opening at 07:00 and closing at 21:00 across country of 62 million people, which has nine provinces. Nearly 28 million South Africans were registered to vote to decide makeup of ir national as well as provincial legislatures.

South Africans can choose parties, or for first time independent candidates, to go to Parliament. Parties get seats in Parliament according to ir share of vote.

Counting starts immediately after polls close and final results are expected by Sunday, according to independent electoral commission that runs election.

Choosing a president 

president is elected in Parliament after national vote's results are announced. South Africa's Parliament has two houses and it's lower house, or National Assembly, that chooses president.

re, 400 lawmakers vote for one of m to be he of state and it needs a simple majority of 201. Because ANC has always h a parliamentary majority since 1994, every president since n has been from ANC, starting with Nelson Mandela.

Why this year could be historic

It has been almost procedural over last three deces for ANC to use its parliamentary majority to elect its leer as president of country. This year may not be so simple.

Several polls have ANC's support at less than 50% ahe of election, raising possibility that it might not have a parliamentary majority. It is still widely expected to be biggest party, but if it goes below 50 per cent, it would n need an agreement or coalition with anor party or parties to stay in government and get 201 votes it needs from lawmakers to reelect President Cyril Ramaphosa for a second and final five-year term.

new Parliament must meet for its first session within 14 days of election results being announced to choose president. Should ANC lose its majority, re would likely be a feverish period of bargaining between it and or parties to form some sort of coalition before Parliament sits.

It's possible that several opposition parties could join toger to oust ANC completely from government and Ramaphosa as president if y don't have a majority.

That's a very remote possibility, though, considering two biggest opposition parties — centrist Democratic Alliance and far-left Economic Freedom Fighters — are as critical of each or as y are of ANC and are seen as unlikely to work toger.

DA is part of a pre-election agreement to join forces with or smaller parties, excluding EFF, in a coalition but y would all have to increase ir vote considerably to overtake ANC.

ANC has given no indication of who it might work with if South Africa needs an unprecedented national coalition government. Ramaphosa said Wednesday after voting that he was confident ANC would win an outright majority.