South Africa's ANC says it has broad agreement with the main opposition parties to form a coalition government
ExpandingCAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South Africa's African National Congress (ANC) said Thursday it had reached an agreement in principle to form a coalition government with the main opposition and other parties, ending political deadlock after losing its majority position of three decades in elections two weeks ago.
The announcement came on the eve of the first meeting of South Africa's new parliament, where lawmakers will elect a president. The ANC needs the support of other parties to re-elect President Cyril Ramaphosa to a second and final term.
The ANC lost its long-held parliamentary majority in the May 29 vote.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula told reporters that the main opposition Democratic Alliance and other parties had agreed in “fundamental” principle to form a “national unity government” with the ANC, but noted the finer details of the deal were yet to be finalised.
Consultations would continue on some points and the “exact content”, Mbalula said.
“There has been great progress with the majority of our political parties agreeing to work together,” Mbalula said after the ANC's top leadership, including Ramaphosa, met in Cape Town.
Mbalula said the framework agreement would likely be published on Friday “as we move towards the presidential elections tomorrow”, but would not say whether there was an agreement for Ramaphosa to be re-elected, adding: “We don't know who will be elected”.
There was no immediate comment from the Democratic Alliance, which is seen as key to the success of the coalition government.
Achieving broad consensus was a top priority for the ANC to enlist other parties to re-elect President Ramaphosa, and analysts have previously said specific details of how the parties will work together and share power in government will be worked out in the coming days.
Negotiations were due to reach a broad agreement because South Africa's constitution requires parliament to convene for the first time to elect a president within 14 days of the results of national elections being officially announced. The deadline was Sunday, and parliament convened on Friday to meet that deadline.
Mbalula listed several parties that have agreed in principle to join a unity government, most importantly the Democratic Alliance. The ANC won the election with 40% of the vote, the DA second with 21%. Together, the two parties would have a majority in parliament and be able to govern and elect Ramaphosa – if that's what they agreed to.
“We are not in a position to govern this country alone,” Mbalula said. “We need to work with others.”
One smaller party, the Inkatha Freedom Party, had already announced on Wednesday night that it would join the unity government.
Nelson Mandela's party, the ANC, has ruled South Africa since the white-minority apartheid system ended in 1994. But it lost its dominance in this year's elections, marking a historic shift in South African politics. Since the end of apartheid, South Africa has never formed a coalition government at the national level in the 30 years since it became a democracy.
Presidential elections have also never been more uncertain: Until now, the ANC's clear majority meant that its leader was merely a formality.
Mbalula said the ANC had held talks with all 17 parties represented in parliament, including the smallest party with only one seat. He said all parties had been invited to join a unity government. Some had refused.
The other two major parties, the left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters and former ANC leader and former president Jacob Zuma's new MK party, have said they will not join a government of national unity and have criticised it. MK has also said its 58 new lawmakers will boycott parliament's first meeting on Friday, but that is unlikely to affect the presidential vote.
A third of lawmakers need to be present to hold a quorum and vote – and the ANC alone holds more than a third of the seats. Lawmakers are due to elect a new speaker and deputy speaker of parliament before the presidential vote, likely to be decided by agreement between the parties in the governing coalition.
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Magome reported from Johannesburg.
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