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2019 South African general election
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2019 South African general election
General elections were held in South Africa on 8 May 2019 to elect a new President, National Assembly and provincial legislatures in each province. These were the sixth elections held since the end of apartheid in 1994 and determined who would become the next President of South Africa.
Incumbent President Cyril Ramaphosa led the ruling African National Congress, with the party attempting to retain its majority status and secure Ramaphosa a full term in office as president; his predecessor, Jacob Zuma, resigned from office on 14 February 2018. Zuma was already ineligible for a third term in office as the South African Constitution limits a president to serve a maximum of two five-year terms.
The National Assembly election was won by the ruling African National Congress (ANC), but with a reduced majority of 57.50%, down from 62.15% in the 2014 election. This was the ANC's lowest vote share since the introduction of non-racial democratic elections in 1994. The official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) also saw its proportion of the vote decline, from 22.23% to 20.77%, while the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) significantly grew their vote share, from 6.35% to 10.80%. The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) grew from 2.40% to 3.38%; this was the first time the party's vote share increased since 1994. The Freedom Front Plus (VF+) also grew from 0.9% to 2.38%, achieving its largest vote share since its founding.
Eight of the nine provincial legislatures were won by the ANC, though it lost its two-thirds majority in the National Council of Provinces for the first time since 1994. The EFF retained its position as official opposition in Limpopo and the North West, while simultaneously beating the Democratic Alliance to second place in Mpumalanga. The DA obtained second place in four provinces won by the ANC. In KwaZulu-Natal, the Inkatha Freedom Party beat the DA to second place for the first time since 2014. In the Western Cape, the only province not won by the ANC, the DA declined from 59.38% to 55.45%.
South Africa has a parliamentary system of government; the National Assembly consists of 400 members elected by closed list proportional representation. Two hundred members are elected from national party lists; the other 200 are elected from provincial party lists in each of the nine provinces. The 200 provincial seats are divided among the provinces based on population, ranging from 5 seats in the Northern Cape to 48 seats in Gauteng, as of this election. The largest remainder method and the Droop quota are used to allocate seats at both the provincial and national level. All 400 seats are first allocated to parties at the national level, then the 200 provincial seats are allocated to parties in each of the nine provinces. Finally, the national list seats are allocated to the parties by subtracting seats won at the provincial level for each party from that party's national allocation, generating a maximally proportional result. A provision in the electoral law limits the number of seats allocated in the highest remainder stage of the national allocation to 5, with any remaining unallocated seats distributed according to the highest average of votes per seat. The president of South Africa is elected by the National Assembly after the election.
The provincial legislatures, which vary in size from 30 to 80 members, are also elected by proportional representation with closed lists, using the same method as the provincial allocation in the national election. The premiers of each province are elected by the respective provincial legislatures.
The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) consists of 90 members, ten elected by each provincial legislature. The NCOP members are elected by the provincial legislatures in proportion to the party makeup of the legislatures.
The term of the National Assembly is five years. The previous general election was held on 7 May 2014, and the term of the National Assembly therefore ended on 6 May 2019, but the National Assembly remained competent to function from the time it is dissolved, or its term expires, until the day before the first day of polling for the next National Assembly.
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2019 South African general election
General elections were held in South Africa on 8 May 2019 to elect a new President, National Assembly and provincial legislatures in each province. These were the sixth elections held since the end of apartheid in 1994 and determined who would become the next President of South Africa.
Incumbent President Cyril Ramaphosa led the ruling African National Congress, with the party attempting to retain its majority status and secure Ramaphosa a full term in office as president; his predecessor, Jacob Zuma, resigned from office on 14 February 2018. Zuma was already ineligible for a third term in office as the South African Constitution limits a president to serve a maximum of two five-year terms.
The National Assembly election was won by the ruling African National Congress (ANC), but with a reduced majority of 57.50%, down from 62.15% in the 2014 election. This was the ANC's lowest vote share since the introduction of non-racial democratic elections in 1994. The official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) also saw its proportion of the vote decline, from 22.23% to 20.77%, while the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) significantly grew their vote share, from 6.35% to 10.80%. The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) grew from 2.40% to 3.38%; this was the first time the party's vote share increased since 1994. The Freedom Front Plus (VF+) also grew from 0.9% to 2.38%, achieving its largest vote share since its founding.
Eight of the nine provincial legislatures were won by the ANC, though it lost its two-thirds majority in the National Council of Provinces for the first time since 1994. The EFF retained its position as official opposition in Limpopo and the North West, while simultaneously beating the Democratic Alliance to second place in Mpumalanga. The DA obtained second place in four provinces won by the ANC. In KwaZulu-Natal, the Inkatha Freedom Party beat the DA to second place for the first time since 2014. In the Western Cape, the only province not won by the ANC, the DA declined from 59.38% to 55.45%.
South Africa has a parliamentary system of government; the National Assembly consists of 400 members elected by closed list proportional representation. Two hundred members are elected from national party lists; the other 200 are elected from provincial party lists in each of the nine provinces. The 200 provincial seats are divided among the provinces based on population, ranging from 5 seats in the Northern Cape to 48 seats in Gauteng, as of this election. The largest remainder method and the Droop quota are used to allocate seats at both the provincial and national level. All 400 seats are first allocated to parties at the national level, then the 200 provincial seats are allocated to parties in each of the nine provinces. Finally, the national list seats are allocated to the parties by subtracting seats won at the provincial level for each party from that party's national allocation, generating a maximally proportional result. A provision in the electoral law limits the number of seats allocated in the highest remainder stage of the national allocation to 5, with any remaining unallocated seats distributed according to the highest average of votes per seat. The president of South Africa is elected by the National Assembly after the election.
The provincial legislatures, which vary in size from 30 to 80 members, are also elected by proportional representation with closed lists, using the same method as the provincial allocation in the national election. The premiers of each province are elected by the respective provincial legislatures.
The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) consists of 90 members, ten elected by each provincial legislature. The NCOP members are elected by the provincial legislatures in proportion to the party makeup of the legislatures.
The term of the National Assembly is five years. The previous general election was held on 7 May 2014, and the term of the National Assembly therefore ended on 6 May 2019, but the National Assembly remained competent to function from the time it is dissolved, or its term expires, until the day before the first day of polling for the next National Assembly.
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