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2024 South African general election
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2024 South African general election
General elections were held in South Africa on 29 May 2024 to elect a new National Assembly as well as the provincial legislature in each of the nine provinces. This was the 7th general election held under the conditions of universal adult suffrage since the end of the apartheid era in 1994. The new National Council of Provinces (NCOP) will be elected at the first sitting of each provincial legislature.
Support for the ruling African National Congress (ANC) significantly declined in this election; the ANC remained the largest party but lost the parliamentary majority that it had held since the inaugural post-apartheid election in 1994. The centrist Democratic Alliance (DA) remained in second place with a slight increase. uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), a left-wing populist party founded 6 months prior to the election and led by former president Jacob Zuma, came in third place. Several smaller parties received too few votes in the regional constituencies to secure a seat but received enough votes overall to win seats in the National Assembly (based on their allocation of compensatory seats).
On 14 June 2024, the ANC, the DA, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and the Patriotic Alliance (PA), agreed to form a national unity government, with Cyril Ramaphosa being re-elected President of South Africa.
The election date of 29 May 2024 was declared by the incumbent president Cyril Ramaphosa on 20 February.
Going into the election, polls showed that support for the ANC was declining significantly, leading to expectations of a hung parliament. In the 2021 South African municipal elections, the African National Congress received less than 50% of the total vote for the first time since the end of apartheid, also losing support in the key metros of Tshwane (Pretoria), Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, and eThekwini (Durban). The ANC retained control of eThekwini while the Democratic Alliance managed to take control of Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni through a majority coalition and a minority coalition respectively, in addition to forming a majority coalition government in Tshwane, which it had governed since 2016.
In early 2023, the ANC and Economic Freedom Fighters formed a coalition in Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni where the two parties held MMC positions whilst electing a mayor from a minority party. In April 2023, noting the prospects of an ANC/EFF national coalition, the DA leader John Steenhuisen called for "like-minded" parties to join to prevent a "doomsday coalition".
On 16 December 2023, former president Jacob Zuma announced his departure from the ANC, accusing the party and incumbent president Cyril Ramaphosa of serving as a "proxy for white monopoly capital." He was also noted as calling the ANC "sellouts" and "apartheid collaborators". He also announced establishment of his own political party, uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), named after the apartheid-era military wing of the ANC. The latter filed a lawsuit against the MK's registration in the Electoral Commission of South Africa, which was dismissed by the Electoral Court of South Africa on 26 March 2024 due to lack of merit. The ANC also plans to file a lawsuit against the party's naming after the historic MK. According to opinion polling, it was suggested that MK could become the kingmakers after the elections.
On 28 March 2024, the Electoral Commission barred Zuma from standing in the election, citing a previous criminal conviction. MK appealed the ruling, with Zuma's lawyers arguing that the conviction was of a civil nature, and the decision was overturned by the Electoral Court on 9 April, permitting Zuma to stand. On 12 April, the Electoral Commission announced that it would approach the Constitutional Court for clarity on section 47(1)(e) of the constitution, the provision used to uphold the initial objection against Zuma. On 30 April, police launched an investigation into whether the MK had forged signatures in order to be able to register for the election. On 20 May, Zuma was ruled ineligible to stand for the election by the Constitutional Court, citing his criminal conviction. He was still allowed to campaign for MK and his name was retained on the ballot as party leader.
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2024 South African general election
General elections were held in South Africa on 29 May 2024 to elect a new National Assembly as well as the provincial legislature in each of the nine provinces. This was the 7th general election held under the conditions of universal adult suffrage since the end of the apartheid era in 1994. The new National Council of Provinces (NCOP) will be elected at the first sitting of each provincial legislature.
Support for the ruling African National Congress (ANC) significantly declined in this election; the ANC remained the largest party but lost the parliamentary majority that it had held since the inaugural post-apartheid election in 1994. The centrist Democratic Alliance (DA) remained in second place with a slight increase. uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), a left-wing populist party founded 6 months prior to the election and led by former president Jacob Zuma, came in third place. Several smaller parties received too few votes in the regional constituencies to secure a seat but received enough votes overall to win seats in the National Assembly (based on their allocation of compensatory seats).
On 14 June 2024, the ANC, the DA, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and the Patriotic Alliance (PA), agreed to form a national unity government, with Cyril Ramaphosa being re-elected President of South Africa.
The election date of 29 May 2024 was declared by the incumbent president Cyril Ramaphosa on 20 February.
Going into the election, polls showed that support for the ANC was declining significantly, leading to expectations of a hung parliament. In the 2021 South African municipal elections, the African National Congress received less than 50% of the total vote for the first time since the end of apartheid, also losing support in the key metros of Tshwane (Pretoria), Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, and eThekwini (Durban). The ANC retained control of eThekwini while the Democratic Alliance managed to take control of Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni through a majority coalition and a minority coalition respectively, in addition to forming a majority coalition government in Tshwane, which it had governed since 2016.
In early 2023, the ANC and Economic Freedom Fighters formed a coalition in Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni where the two parties held MMC positions whilst electing a mayor from a minority party. In April 2023, noting the prospects of an ANC/EFF national coalition, the DA leader John Steenhuisen called for "like-minded" parties to join to prevent a "doomsday coalition".
On 16 December 2023, former president Jacob Zuma announced his departure from the ANC, accusing the party and incumbent president Cyril Ramaphosa of serving as a "proxy for white monopoly capital." He was also noted as calling the ANC "sellouts" and "apartheid collaborators". He also announced establishment of his own political party, uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), named after the apartheid-era military wing of the ANC. The latter filed a lawsuit against the MK's registration in the Electoral Commission of South Africa, which was dismissed by the Electoral Court of South Africa on 26 March 2024 due to lack of merit. The ANC also plans to file a lawsuit against the party's naming after the historic MK. According to opinion polling, it was suggested that MK could become the kingmakers after the elections.
On 28 March 2024, the Electoral Commission barred Zuma from standing in the election, citing a previous criminal conviction. MK appealed the ruling, with Zuma's lawyers arguing that the conviction was of a civil nature, and the decision was overturned by the Electoral Court on 9 April, permitting Zuma to stand. On 12 April, the Electoral Commission announced that it would approach the Constitutional Court for clarity on section 47(1)(e) of the constitution, the provision used to uphold the initial objection against Zuma. On 30 April, police launched an investigation into whether the MK had forged signatures in order to be able to register for the election. On 20 May, Zuma was ruled ineligible to stand for the election by the Constitutional Court, citing his criminal conviction. He was still allowed to campaign for MK and his name was retained on the ballot as party leader.
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