African National Congress loses parliamentary majority in South Africa

South Africa's African National Congress lost its national parliamentary majority in the election held on 29 May 2024. Final results gave the ANC about forty percent of votes, its lowest share since the country's first universal democratic election in 1994.

The ANC remained the largest party but could no longer elect a president and pass ordinary legislation alone. The Democratic Alliance, uMkhonto weSizwe party and Economic Freedom Fighters won significant blocs, creating multiple possible coalition arrangements.

Voters elect the National Assembly through proportional representation, and the assembly elects the president. A fall below fifty percent therefore did not immediately remove President Cyril Ramaphosa or hand executive office to the second-largest party. Government formation required parliamentary negotiation.

The campaign reflected frustration over unemployment, electricity failures, public services, corruption and inequality, alongside enduring loyalty to the ANC's liberation history. Vote totals cannot establish one motive for every constituency or voter.

The Independent Electoral Commission's final results establish the loss of majority. The South African entry isolates the electoral turning point, separate from the later government of national unity and Ramaphosa's reelection by parliament. It describes reduced power without falsely reporting that the ANC lost its plurality or disappeared from government.

The uMkhonto weSizwe party associated with former president Jacob Zuma made its debut and became the largest party in KwaZulu-Natal. That regional shift was important to coalition arithmetic but did not make one province representative of the whole national vote.