ANC suffers worst-ever election result in South Africa
The African National Congress (ANC) has recorded its worst-ever electoral performance in South Africa, securing only 30.76% of the vote. The decline reflects public frustration over unemployment, corruption, and poor service delivery.
Why it matters
The ANC's loss of its long-standing dominance signals a major shift in South African politics and the necessity of coalition governance.
Layer 1 The African National Congress (ANC), which has dominated South African politics since the end of apartheid, has recorded its worst-ever electoral performance, securing 30.76 per cent of the votes in municipal elections, according to the country’s electoral commission.
The final results, announced on Sunday, showed that the party’s support had declined further, setting the stage for difficult multiparty coalition negotiations in several major cities where no party secured an outright majority.
The liberal Democratic Alliance (DA), the ANC’s closest challenger and main partner in the national unity government, secured about a quarter of the votes, according to the final tally.
Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of South Africa, Mosotho Moepya, said voter turnout stood at 52 per cent, six percentage points higher than the 2021 municipal elections, which were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Headlinne story · 3 newsrooms
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