South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) and the Democratic Alliance (DA) have struck a deal to form a government of national unity, as reported by state broadcaster SABC on Friday.
The agreement follows the May 29 elections, which marked a shift from ANC’s long-standing single-party dominance. The coalition also includes the Patriotic Alliance (PA) with nine parliamentary seats and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) with 17 seats.
In the 400-member National Assembly, the ANC holds 159 seats, while the DA, the main opposition party, has 87 seats. Other parties contributing to the unity government include the uMkonto Wesizwe Party (58 seats) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (39 seats), among others.
ANC leader and current President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to be reelected with support from the DA, IFP, and PA during the ongoing first parliament sitting, according to local media sources.
The coalition arrangement was finalized shortly after 10 a.m. local time, according to Times Live. The ANC, once led by Nelson Mandela, had previously dominated South African politics for three decades but lost its parliamentary majority this year.
Earlier this month, the ANC proposed forming a unity government after its electoral setback.