A guide to what’s next for South Africa and the key figures in unprecedented coalition talks

Cape Town, South Africa — South Africa’s elections have decided little, apart from the African National Congress freeing the country from apartheid in 1994. has lost his majority of 30 years.

However, it was still the biggest match. Since no one has a majority, South Africa’s party leaders are embarking on coalition talks to form a government. South Africa has never had to do this due to the long dominance of the ANC.

There are four major political parties and at least eight with a significant proportion of the vote after last week’s elections. It will be complicated.

Here’s a guide to some of the key figures and what could happen next like South Africa. Enter uncharted territory.

Once protected by Nelson Mandela, ramaphosa, 71, has now overseen the worst election result in the ANC’s history. He is under pressure within his own party as well as among voters, but he managed to laugh when an official slipped up on Sunday and referred to him as the “extinct” rather than distinguished president. “I’m not extinct yet,” Ramaphosa said.

Ramaphosa’s challenge is to guide his party toward a coalition he sees best between different factions. within the ANC. The obvious choice is the main opposition, the Democratic Alliance. Between them they would have enough seats in Parliament to govern. But the DA has been fiercely critical of ANC policies for years and the marriage would not be easy, even if both have said they are open to discussions.

Another option for the ANC is to join one or both of the other two main opposition parties, the uMkhonto weSizwe party, or MK party, and the Economic Freedom Fighters. This could be detrimental to South Africa’s image with foreign investors, given that both MK and the EFF have pledged to nationalize South Africa’s important gold and platinum mines and the central bank.

Ramaphosa’s presidency is at stake as a coalition deal must also result in his re-election for a second term. South Africans vote for parties in elections to decide how many seats they get in Parliament. Lawmakers then elect the president and the ANC now does not have enough lawmakers on its own to re-elect Ramaphosa.

Steenhuisen, 48, is the main opposition leader at the front from the centrist DA and the only white leader among the four main parties. He said his party was also entering into talks with several parties except MK and EFF. The district attorney has drawn a line there and said he will never work with those two because of ideological differences.

Bringing together Steenhuisen’s DA and Ramaphosa’s ANC is seen by analysts as the most stable coalition option. Some have suggested that other smaller parties could be brought in to create a broader coalition and dilute the ANC-DA combination.

Zuma was leader of the ANC and president of South Africa until he was replaced by Ramaphosa in both positions. They have become fierce rivals. Zuma, 82, was the wild card of this election after announcing his political return only in December. His newly formed MK Party made a huge impact, winning 14% of the vote and gaining some support from the ANC to become the third largest party in its first election.

Zuma’s party has demanded Ramaphosa’s resignation as a condition for a coalition, a sign of personal animosity. The ANC rejected the condition. While there would seem to be little to work with to unite, MK now has a significant proportion of votes and seats in Parliament.

Zuma, who has served a prison sentence for contempt of court, will stand trial next year on corruption charges. He was No running for a seat in Parliament in these elections due to his criminal record.

Malema’s EFF party lost support in the election and fell to the fourth largest party behind MK. Malema is the youngest of the top leaders, aged 43, and also has old ties to the ANC as its former youth leader before he was ousted for misconduct.

Recognized as a blight, His party follows a Marxist ideology but there is some common ground between it and the ANC and the EFF was mooted as a logical coalition partner for the ANC before MK overtook it and reduced its importance. Due to their differences, the inclusion of the EFF and MK in any coalition may result in the withdrawal of the DA.

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