ANC wins another term in power – with reduced majority

In the final results of the South African election, the ANC received 63% of national votes while the Democratic Alliance (DA) increased its support to 22%, up from 16% in 2009.

IEC zuma zilleThe ANC has won itself another term in power after clinching 63.15% of national votes in South Africa’s 2014 General Election.

The ruling party received 11 436 921 votes, which equals 249 seats out of a total of 400 seats in the National Assembly in Parliament. In the 2009 elections, the ANC obtained 264 seats.

The party is still in control in eight of the country’s provinces, with the exception of the Western Cape, which remains under the Democratic Alliance (DA), with 59.38% of the provincial vote.

Making the official announcement at the National Results Operations Centre in Pretoria on Saturday evening, Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of South Africa chair Pansy Tlakula said she was satisfied with how the elections were conducted.

“I hereby, on behalf of the Electoral Commission, declare the 2014 national and provincial elections free and fair,” she told the guests during the ceremony, which was attended by President-elect Jacob Zuma  and representatives of most of the political parties that participated in the country’s fifth democratic elections.

On Wednesday 18 million South Africans (73.42% of registered voters) went to the polls in the 2014 national and provincial elections.

Of the 29 parties that contested the elections, only 13 received sufficient votes to have representation in the National Assembly, including four newcomers: the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), the National Freedom Party (NFP), African Independent Congress (AIC) and Agang SA.

For a political party to obtain one seat in Parliament it needs about 0.25% of the national vote, or between 37 000 and 50 000 actual votes, depending on voter turnout.

The party to obtain the second highest amount of seats in the National Assembly was the Democratic Alliance (DA) which increased its support nationally to 22.23% (4 091 584 votes), giving it 89 seats in the National Assembly in Parliament. In the 2009 elections the DA obtained 67 seats.

Newcomers, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), emerged as the third most popular party after the ANC and DA, with 6.35%. The party, which was formed eight months ago by Julius Malema, received more than one million votes in the national ballot, earning it 25 seats. It has also become the official opposition in North West and Limpopo.

The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) received the fourth highest number of votes with 2.4% (441 854 votes) which secured 10 seats. In the 2009 elections, the party had 18 seats.

Its breakaway party, the National Freedom Party (NFP), came in fifth with 1.57% (288 742 votes), garnering six seats. This was the first time the NFP contested a national election.

The United Democratic Movement (UDM) increased its support from 0.85 % in 2009 to 1% (184 636 votes) and earned four seats with the sixth highest share of votes.

The Freedom Front Plus also earned four seats after improving its support from 0.83% in 2009 to 0.9% (165 715 votes).

The Congress of the People (Cope), African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) and AIC each got three seats.

Agang SA won two seats while the Pan African Congress (PAC) and its breakaway party, the African People’s Convention (APC) each got one seat.

A total of 251 957 votes were spoilt nationally, up from 239 237 in the last poll, which may be attributed to a campaign calling for disgruntled ANC voters to spoil their votes.

At Saturday’s event, which was also the 20th anniversary of late former President Nelson Mandela’s inauguration as democratic South Africa’s first president in 1994, Tlakula urged the parties to “serve South Africa with pride, honour, integrity and humility.”

Both the African Union (AU) Observer Mission and the Electoral Commission Forum of SADC (ECF) have congratulated South Africa on a free, fair, transparent and credible election.

Results map:

results map

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