EU took note of SA elections results

Brussels 03.06.2024 They European Union (EU) took note of the results of the South African general elections. The EU has deployed an electoral expert mission, which has been working on observing the process well ahead of the day, when the citizens went to urns to drop ballots. The mission would probably share the conclusions assembled in the report with the relevant authorities, however they will not be published unless with their approval, the European External Actions Service spokesperson said.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has accepted the bitter reality for his African National Congress (ANC) party, which has suffered a poor election result, losing majority for the first time since apartheid abolished 30 years ago.
“Our people have spoken, whether we like it or not, they have spoken,” Mr Ramaphosa said.

“As the leaders of political parties, as all those who occupy positions of responsibility in society, we have heard the voices of our people and we must respect their wishes.”

The legendary ANC, led by Nelson Mandela, won 159 seats in the 400-seat parliament which means a substantial loss down from 230 in the previous assembly.
President Ramaphosa has assessed the results as a victory for democracy, calling on rival parties to find common ground in an attempt to stretch his hand for inevitable coalition talks.

The opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party led by John Steenhuisen has already indicated that it is open to proposals of President Ramaphosa, however they have another vision for the key priorities.

The ANC collected 40% of ballots, which is significant reduction from previous 58%, which is even lower than the predicted worst-case scenario of 45%. The ANC now must go into a coalition to form the next government.

“Through their votes, they have demonstrated clearly and plainly that our democracy is strong and it is enduring,” President Ramaphosa continued.