ANC heads for record low in South Africa local elections as count advances
South Africa's governing African National Congress (ANC) held about 32 percent of the vote with more than 60 percent of ballots counted in Wednesday's municipal elections, putting it on course for its weakest result in local polls. Counting continues, and final results are expected on Sunday.
About 29 million people were registered to vote on 4 November in elections widely seen as a verdict on the ANC's record on failing municipal services. President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged that service failures have eroded public trust. Police are also investigating the killing of an organizer of the MK party, a rising opposition force, in the days before the vote, amid a wave of political killings.
The ANC has governed South Africa since the end of apartheid in 1994, and since the 2024 general election it has led a government of national unity that includes its main rival, the Democratic Alliance. A heavy municipal setback would not change the composition of that national government directly, but it will be read as a measure of voters' patience and could shift the balance in coalition talks in key cities. Municipal councils run water, electricity, roads and waste collection, which is why local failures weigh so heavily on public opinion.
For Algeria, South Africa is a close and symbolic partner. Algiers supported the anti-apartheid struggle, and Nelson Mandela received training in 1962 from the Algerian National Liberation Army, a link that both countries still invoke. The two states are also among the African Union members that back the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination, and Pretoria recognizes the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.
The final allocation of seats and the coalition negotiations that follow will show how far the political map has shifted in Africa's most industrialized economy.
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