Written By; Elizabeth Adundo – Yogo
Head of Secretariat, ODM Women League, Kenya!
After the official release of the results from the IEC on the South African Elections here are some quick facts:
Ahead of the May 29 elections, a record 27.7 million South Africans registered to vote. However, only 16.2 million votes were cast on Election Day, resulting in a voter turnout of 58.61 percent – the lowest ever in South Africa’s 30-year democratic history.
The ANC managed enough votes to secure more than 50 percent in five out of South Africa’s nine provinces: Limpopo (74 percent), the Eastern Cape (63 percent), North West (58 percent), Free State (53 percent), and Mpumalanga (52 percent).
In the Northern Cape (49 percent) and Gauteng (36 percent), the ANC fell short of a majority and will need to find coalition partners to form the government.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) will continue to govern the Western Cape (53 percent), which it has done since 2009.
And in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), former President Jacob Zuma’s MK received the highest number of votes at some 46 percent, ahead of the ANC which managed about 18 percent.
Of nearly 39,000 South Africans who voted from outside the country (The diaspora voters) more than 75 percent voted for the DA.
How the president is elected and what happens next?
As I had mentioned in my previous post, South Africans do not directly vote for the president.
Instead, they elect the members of the National Assembly, who then elect the president by a simple majority – 201 or more votes determine the presidency.
Following the IEC’s announcement of results, certain procedural steps must be followed for South Africa to form a government. They include:
Allocation of seats: Seats in the 400-member National Assembly are proportionately allocated based on the election results.
First sitting of the National Assembly: Within 14 days of the election results, the newly elected National Assembly must hold its first sitting, where members are sworn in and the speaker is elected.
Election of the president: During the first sitting, or soon after, the National Assembly elects the president of South Africa, who is then responsible for appointing the cabinet and forming the government.
Formation of government: Once the president is elected, the process of forming a government, including the appointment of ministers, usually follows.
The entire process is usually completed within a couple of weeks to ensure a smooth transition of power and continuity of governance.