South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was reelected by lawmakers for a second term on June 14, after his party struck a dramatic late coalition deal with a former political foe just hours before the vote.

Mr. Ramaphosa, the leader of the African National Congress, won convincingly in Parliament against a surprise candidate who was also nominated — Julius Malema of the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters. Mr. Ramaphosa received 283 votes to Malema’s 44 in the 400-member house.

The 71-year-old Mr. Ramaphosa secured his second term with the help of lawmakers from the country’s second-biggest party, the Democratic Alliance, and some smaller parties. They backed him in the vote and got him over the finish line following the ANC’s loss of its long-held majority in a landmark election two weeks ago that reduced it to 159 seats in Parliament.

During a break in what turned out to be a marathon parliamentary session, the ANC signed the last-minute agreement with the DA, effectively ensuring Mr. Ramaphosa stayed on as the leader of Africa’s most industrialized economy. The parties will now co-govern South Africa in its first national coalition where no party has a majority in Parliament.

The deal, referred to as a government of national unity, brings the ANC together with the DA, a white-led party that had for years been the main opposition and the fiercest critic of the ANC. At least two other smaller parties also joined the agreement.

Mr. Ramaphose called the deal — which sent South Africa into uncharted waters — a “new birth, a new era for our country” and said it was time for parties “to overcome their differences and to work together.”

“This is what we shall do and this is what I am committed to achieve as the President,” he said.

The ANC — the famed party of Nelson Mandela — had ruled South Africa with a comfortable majority since the end of the apartheid system of white minority rule in 1994.

But it lost its 30-year majority in the humbling national election on May 29, a turning point for the country. The vote was held against the backdrop of widespread discontent from South Africans over high levels of poverty, inequality and unemployment.

Analysts warn there might be complications ahead, though, given the starkly different ideologies of the ANC, a former liberation movement, and the centrist, business-friendly DA, which won 21% of the vote in the national election, the second largest share behind the ANC’s 40%.

For one, the DA disagreed with the ANC government’s move to accuse Israel of genocide in Gaza in a highly sensitive case at the United Nations’ top court.

The DA leader John Steenhuisen was the first to confirm the agreement.

“From today, the DA will co-govern the Republic of South Africa in a spirit of unity and collaboration,” he said as he stepped away from Friday’s proceedings for a speech carried live on television in which he said a deal was signed and that the DA lawmakers would vote for Mr. Ramaphosa for President.

The Parliament session started at 10 a.m. in the unusual setting of a conference center near Cape Town’s waterfront, after the city’s historic National Assembly building was gutted in a fire in 2022. The house first went through the hourslong swearing-in of hundreds of new lawmakers and electing a speaker and a deputy speaker.

The vote for president started late at night, with the results announced well after 10 p.m. Mr. Ramaphosa finished his acceptance speech as the clock ticked past midnight and into June 15.

Former President Jacob Zuma’s MK Party boycotted the session but that did not affect the voting as only a third of the house is needed for a quorum.

ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula said the party was open to talking with anyone else who wanted to join the unity government. There are 18 political parties represented in Parliament and he said the multi-party agreement would “prioritize the country across the political and ideological divide.”

Some parties, including Mr. Malema’s EFF, refused to join.

The two other parties that joined the coalition deal were the Inkatha Freedom Party and the Patriotic Alliance, which has drawn attention partly because its leader, Gayton McKenzie, served a prison sentence for bank robbery.

Mr. McKenzie said he had been given a second chance in life and that South Africa also had one now, a chance to solve its deep socioeconomic problems.

The ANC had faced a deadline to strike a coalition agreement as Parliament had to vote for the president within 14 days after election results were declared on June 2. The ANC had been trying to strike a coalition agreement for two weeks and the final negotiations went on overnight June 13 to June 14, party officials said.

South Africa has not faced that level of political uncertainty since the ANC swept to power in the 1994 first all-race election that ended nearly a half-century of racial segregation. Since then, every South African leader has come from the ANC, starting with Mandela.

The new unity government also harked back to the way Mandela, South Africa’s first Black president, invited political opponents to be part of a unity government in 1994 in an act of reconciliation when the ANC had a majority. Ramaphosa had played a key role in those negotiations as a young politician.

This time, the ANC’s hand was forced.

“The ANC has been very magnanimous in that they have accepted defeat and have said, ‘let’s talk’,” PA leader Mr. McKenzie said.

A child plays with her teddy bear as people cast their votes at a polling station on the Cape Flats during South African elections in Cape Town, South Africa, May 29, 2024.
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

The African National Congress appeared on course to lose the parliamentary majority it has held for 30 years, partial results from South Africa’s national election showed, in what would be the most dramatic political shift since the end of apartheid.

With results from 10% of polling stations, the ANC’s share of the vote on May 29th’s election stood at 42.3%, with the pro-business Democratic Alliance (DA) at 26.3% and the Marxist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) at 8.1%, data from the electoral commission showed.

If the final results were to resemble the early picture, the ANC would be forced to make a deal with one or more other parties to govern— a situation that could lead to unprecedented political volatility in the coming weeks or months.

Under South Africa’s constitution, the newly elected National Assembly will elect the next president.

With the ANC still on course to be the largest party, its leader Cyril Ramaphosa is likely to remain as the country’s president, although a poor showing could make him vulnerable to a leadership challenge from within party ranks.

The ANC has won national elections held every five years since the landmark 1994 election, which marked the end of apartheid and the ascent of Nelson Mandela as President.

But since those heady days the ANC’s support has declined because of disillusionment over issues such as high unemployment and crime, frequent power blackouts and corruption.

The early results showed the ANC and the DA neck-and-neck on about 34% each in the key province of Gauteng, which includes the country’s business capital Johannesburg and the sprawling townships of Soweto and Alexandra.

The Zuma factor

In KwaZulu-Natal, a populous eastern province where the major city of Durban is located, a new party led by former President Jacob Zuma, uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), was performing strongly, with 41.7% of the vote versus 20.1% for the ANC.

Zuma was forced to quit as President in 2018 after a string of scandals and has since fallen out with the ANC leadership, leading him to throw his weight behind MK. The party, named after the ANC’s armed wing from the apartheid era, appeared to be costing both the ANC and the EFF votes, especially in KwaZulu-Natal.

By law, the electoral commission has seven days to declare full results, but in practice it is usually faster than that. In the last election, in 2019, voting took place on May 29 like this year and final results came on May 31

The new Parliament must convene within 14 days of final results being declared and its first act must be to elect the nation’s President.

This means that if the ANC is confirmed to have lost its majority there could be two weeks of intense and complex negotiations to agree on how to form a new government.

The story so far: South Africa’s top court on Monday barred former President Jacob Zuma from contesting in the upcoming elections. Mr. Zuma was forced to quit as the President of South Africa in 2018 after allegations of corruption. He was found guilty of contempt of court in 2021 and handed 15 months in prison, of which he only served two months. He is still on trial for corruption allegations.

Mr. Zuma was a member of the African National Congress (ANC) party when he was the President of South Africa. Following his resignation, Cyril Ramaphosa became the President.

Zuma’s comeback attempt and disqualification

In December 2023, Mr. Zuma announced that he would not be voting for the ANC. He is now the leader of a new party called uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) (means Spear of the Nation), named after the former paramilitary wing of the ANC. Following this, the ANC suspended his membership. “Former President Jacob Zuma is actively impugning the integrity of the ANC and campaigning to dislodge the ANC from power, while claiming that he has not terminated his membership. This conduct is irreconcilable with the spirit of organisational discipline and letter of the ANC Constitution,” the ANC said in a statement announcing Mr. Zuma’s suspension in January 2024.

However, on March 28, the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) announced that they had received an objection to Mr. Zuma’s candidature, which had been upheld. Although the IEC did not specify a reason, it reiterated the eligibility criteria for candidates to qualify for the presidential election, which, among other things, says that people convicted of an offence and sentenced to more than 12 months in prison are ineligible to contest in the election. Mr. Zuma’s 15-month sentence falls within this stipulated time period.

A court in South Africa overturned the disqualification, allowing Mr. Zuma to run for presidency. The court’s decision was challenged by the IEC, and on May 20, the Constitutional Court ruled in its favour and barred Mr. Zuma from contesting in the election. The Election Commission had approached the Constitutional Court to seek clarity on whether it had powers to enforce section 47(1) of the Constitution, which states that “anyone who…is convicted of an offence and sentenced to more than 12 months’ imprisonment without the option of a fine” is ineligible to contest in elections. The Constitution of South Africa also adds that “a disqualification under this paragraph ends five years after the sentence has been completed.”

What are the charges against Mr. Zuma?

Mr. Zuma was jailed on charges of contempt of court for refusing an order to appear before a probe into the charges of corruption that mired his nine-year presidency. Violence erupted in South Africa after the former President was imprisoned in July 2021, killing more than 300 people. The rioting by Mr. Zuma’s supporters first started in KwaZulu-Natal province and spread to other parts of the country, including Gauteng province, which has Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest city.

Mr. Zuma was released on medical parole two months later.

Mr. Zuma is also facing an ongoing trial on charges of corruption in a 1999 arms deal. Charges against him were dropped and reinstated multiple times over the last two decades.

Shortly after Mr. Zuma resigned from the post of President in 2018, he was charged with corruption over a $2.5 billion state arms deal. He was the deputy President at the time of the deal, and allegedly received bribes from a French defence equipment company through his financial adviser Schabir Shaik, who himself was jailed for 15 years in 2005 on charges of soliciting bribes on behalf of Mr. Zuma. Mr. Shaik was released on medical parole in 2009.

Apart from the arms deal, there are several other corruption allegations against Mr. Zuma. The Gupta family, headed by Ajay, Atul and Rajesh (‘Tony”) Gupta from Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, were at the heart of many allegations levelled against Mr. Zuma. In April 2023, the UAE rejected an extradition bid by South Africa to bring the brothers back to the country and prosecute them.

What do opinion polls say?

According to Gallup, the ANC could lose its majority in South Africa for the first time in 30 years— since 1994— when Apartheid was abolished. The party has enjoyed a majority in the country since Nelson Mandela became the President. It won almost 70% of votes in 2004, but the vote share has been declining since then. Corruption allegations, poor economic conditions, and rising unemployment are the main reasons why South Africans are losing their faith in the ANC.

“The coming elections may serve as a turning point for the nation if the ANC receives less than 50% of the vote, dropping the party out of the majority position it has held and necessitating negotiations to form a coalition government,” the survey noted.

Corruption charges against Mr. Zuma are not the only problem the ANC faces. Current President Ramaphosa has been embroiled in his own fair share of controversies, including allegations of misconduct and a violation of the Constitution he helped to draft in the 1990s.

In June 2022, Arthur Fraser, former state security head and ally of ex-President Zuma, filed a criminal complaint alleging that Mr. Ramaphosa had money in the range of $4 million to $8 million stolen from his northeastern Phala Phala game farm in February 2020, but never reported this theft. The President instead tasked a member of his personal protection unit to conduct an off-the-books investigation. The scandal was termed Farmgate by local media.

Another opinion poll conducted by Ipsos through interviews in March and April 2024 found that the ANC was struggling to retain voters. “Nationally, only 38% believe that the ANC will live up to their election promises, and the party’s support base has long been concentrated in rural areas,” the poll said.

South Africa goes to polls on May 29.

(With inputs from agencies)

Johannesburg:

South Africa’s electoral officials said Thursday that they had excluded former president Jacob Zuma from May elections, further stoking tensions in the run-up to the polls.

The country is to hold general elections on May 29 in what is expected to be the most competitive vote since the advent of democracy in 1994.

The governing African National Congress (ANC) is on the brink of dropping below 50 percent of the vote for the first time since it came to power at the end of apartheid.

The party is bleeding support amid a weak economy and allegations of corruption and mismanagement.

Zuma, 81, was forced out of office in 2018 under a cloud of corruption allegations but still wields political clout.

He has been campaigning for the opposition uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party in an attempt to relaunch his career, calling members of his former party, the ANC, “traitors”.

“In the case of former president Zuma, yes, we did receive an objection, which has been upheld,” electoral commission president Mosotho Moepya told reporters, without giving details.

“The party that has nominated him has been informed” as have those objecting to the move, he added.

The decision can be appealed before April 2.

MK spokesman Nhlamulo Ndlhela told AFP the party was “looking at the merit of that objection but we will of course appeal it”.

– ‘Intellectual property theft’ –

The electoral commission decision is not the MK’s only problem.

The ANC on Wednesday filed a new court application to stop the MK from using its name, alleging intellectual property theft.

According to the governing party, the uMkhonto we Sizwe name and logo are similar to those of the now disbanded apartheid-era military wing of the ANC, which could deceive or confuse voters.

A court decision is expected to be announced in the coming days.

On Tuesday a court rejected an initial complaint by the ANC, which said the MK was registered unlawfully, allowing the small radical party to stand in the election.

The general election, after which the victor will appoint a president, is set to be tense.

If the ANC falls below 50 percent of the vote it would force the party once led by Nelson Mandela to form a coalition to stay in office.

Latest opinion polls put the ANC on just over 40 percent of the vote, with the main opposition Democratic Alliance on around 27 percent and the MK at 13 percent.

The electoral commission said that under the constitution “any person who was convicted of an offence and sentenced to more than 12 months imprisonment without the option of a fine” cannot stand in an election.

Zuma was sentenced to 15 months in jail in June 2021 after refusing to testify to a panel probing financial corruption and cronyism under his presidency.

He was freed on medical parole just two months into his term.

But his jailing sparked protests, riots and looting that left more than 350 dead in South Africa’s worst violence since the advent of democracy.

An appeals court later ruled Zuma’s release was illegally granted and ordered him back to jail.

But on returning to a correctional centre he immediately benefited from a remission of non-violent offenders approved by President Cyril Ramaphosa, his arch-rival and successor.

Besides his 2021 contempt conviction he is facing separate charges of corruption in an arms procurement scandal in the 1990s, when he was vice president.

Zuma cannot in theory seek re-election as he has already served two terms as president.

Final electoral lists are due to be published within around a fortnight.

The electoral commission has received 82 appeals relating to candidates designated by 21 political parties.

Zuma’s declaration in December that he would campaign for the MK was a blow for the ANC, as he remains popular with Zulus.

The announcement of his exclusion came as the head of South Africa’s biggest opposition party, John Steenhuisen of the Democratic Alliance, refused to rule out a coalition deal with the ANC after the elections.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)