South Africa Elections

The ANC comfortably won the 2009 elections, attracting 65,9% of the vote, a result fairly consistent with prior years. As a result, Jacob Zuma will be appointed as the next President of South Africa. However the ANC failed to secure a two thirds majority, percentage required to change the constitution.

Opposition parties are emerging. The Democratic Alliance support has steadily grown over the years and the party increased its control over the Western Cape province where it is now the ruling party. The Congress of People, a newly formed party, gained successful results in the latest election, becoming an alternative at a national level. The smaller parties appear to be disappearing. They should now reconsider which role, if any, will play in the future.

There have been enough changes to the political landscape to en-sure that the results of the next elections will be based on the performance of Zuma and the ANC over the next five years. The first few months will be critical in order to see the direction chosen by ANC. The appointment of Zuma’s cabinet will give the first indication as to the possible di-rection that Zuma will take.