ANC set to retain power in South Africa
May 8, 2014, 11:14 am

Millions of South Africans went to the polls on Wednesday to elect a new National Assembly and new provincial legislatures in each province [GCIS]

With counting complete in over half of 22263 voting stations so far, the ANC’s support stood at 62.12 per cent, according to provisional figures released by the Independent Electoral Commission.

The main opposition DA (Democratic Alliance) has garnered 22.32 per cent of the vote share so far.

The South African government on Thursday announced the just-concluded general elections “successful and peaceful.”

“Government thanks the millions of South Africans who have voted in the country’s fifth democratic elections. We appreciate the tolerance, dignity and patience with which voters conducted themselves as they waited to cast their vote,” government spokesperson Phumla Williams said in a statement.

The elections were “mostly incident free” and “smooth running”, Williams said.

“The security measures contributed greatly to elections which were peaceful and conducted in a spirit of democracy,” she said.

The government, Williams said, acknowledges the positive spirit in which the political parties conducted themselves during the elections. “This is an indication of our maturity as a democracy.”

Williams added that the 2014 General Elections were another milestone in the country’s democratic history.

Millions of South Africans went to the polls on Wednesday to elect a new National Assembly and new provincial legislatures in each province. It was the fifth election held under conditions of universal adult suffrage since the end of the apartheid era in 1994.

The ruling African National Congress (ANC) was predicted to win about 63 percent of the votes, lower than the 65.9 percent in the 2009 elections.

It means that the party would fail to get a two- third majority it needs to “bring about radical changes.” The principal opposition DA, meanwhile, could get 23.7 per cent, higher than the 16.7 per cent it got in the last elections.

Final results are expected to be announced on Sunday.

TBP and Agencies