CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — The South African Vote on Wednesday Their country, A moment from 30 years ago When apartheid was abolished and democracy was established.
This election will likely not be as significant as South Africa’s 1994 election, which was led by Nelson Mandela. Few elections have been as significant. African National Congress The Democratic Party won a victory as South Africa’s black majority was given the right to vote for the first time, formally ending half a century of racial discrimination and hundreds of years of white minority rule under the violently enforced apartheid system that drew global outrage.
However, as long as the ANC remains in power in 2024, As dissatisfaction grows High unemployment and poverty are the main causes. As a result, the majority of South Africans Choose a different party This week it’s about what led them to freedom.
“Just because South Africa has had democracy for 30 years doesn’t mean we have to endure under the ANC forever,” John Steenhuisen, leader of the main opposition Democratic Alliance party, said ahead of the election.
However, any changes are not expected to be drastic.
The potential impact is complex, with some opinion polls suggesting the ANC’s approval rating is below 50 percent and it is at risk of losing its majority for the first time. The opposition has not risen The ANC is still widely expected to be the largest party, far outnumbering the growing opposition parties that are splitting the vote of disgruntled people.
However, without a majority, the ANC will likely have to enter into a pact or coalition with other parties to stay in power and be re-elected. President Cyril Ramaphosathat way, Post-Apartheid South Africa And it will usher in a new era of communal rule for the ANC.
The ANC has won six consecutive national elections, beginning with the election in 1994 that elected Mandela as the country’s first black president. But it has fallen from its high of nearly 70% of the vote two decades ago. A steady decline in support Meanwhile, South Africa is grappling with serious socio-economic problems inherited from apartheid.
The ANC also Corruption scandals are rampant And he didn’t tackle. The country’s violent crime problemIn the final three months of 2023, there was an average of 83 homicides per day. Failure of basic government services It has affected many people in the country of 62 million, with some communities, towns and major cities left without running water and electricity.
But the outstanding problem is Unemployment and the resulting povertySouth Africa’s official unemployment rate, at 32 percent, is the worst in the world, and it is even higher, at 45 percent, among young people aged 15 to 34. This is at odds with South Africa’s status as the continent’s most developed country. The World Bank estimates that more than half of South Africans live below the poverty line.
“Together we can do more and do better,” ANC leader Ramaphosa said in what has become the party’s motto. At the ANC’s last major rally this weekend, Ramaphosa said the party still represents the aspirations of South Africans and promised to prioritise jobs programmes and extend social assistance to millions who rely on government handouts.
African National Congress (ANC) The ANC claims to be the only party that can effectively govern South Africa and arguably faces the greatest electoral challenge, but analysts point out that it has the most effective grassroots organizations and traditionally draws support from older South Africans, rural people and those who generally have less of a voice. The possibility of the ANC retaining a majority has not been ruled out.
The election will take place in one day, with around 28 million people registering to vote in the country’s nine cantons. They will determine the composition of the national parliament as well as the state assemblies. More than 50 political parties are registered for the national elections, the highest number ever. Independent Candidate This was the first time I was allowed to speak.
South Africans do not vote directly for a president, but for political parties, which receive seats in parliament based on the number of national votes they receive, and these parties then elect the president, who is chosen by the ANC, which holds a majority in parliament.
Just over 80% of South Africans are black, but the country is multi-ethnic, with significant numbers of white, Indian and mixed race people. Mandela sought to embrace that diversity in the new unity after apartheid, calling the country the “rainbow nation.”
But 30 years later, Poverty continues to have a disproportionate impact The main opposition parties range from the centrist Democratic Alliance to the far-left, although they are deeply divided and not united on policy. Economic Freedom Fighter And that New MK Party Former President Jacob Zuma’s speech repeated one theme: the ANC’s failure to deliver on the promises it made when it won power in 1994 on the slogan “a better life for all”.
The ANC’s fading appeal is most evident among young South Africans between the ages of 15 and 34 who did not experience or have any memory of apartheid, many of whom are now voting. The elections could give voice to a new generation who know about apartheid and the ANC’s role in defeating it through stories they heard from their parents and grandparents, but who, 30 years on, don’t understand how it has served them.
“Young people are not even born yet, so we can’t talk about fighting for freedom,” said Simphiwe Mpungose, a local organizer for the New MK party. “They are worried about what they are seeing now.”
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Associated Press writers Mogomotsi Magome in Johannesburg and Farai Mutsaka in Durban, South Africa, contributed.
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