South Africa’s ANC Eyes Pact With Rivals, Says Ramaphosa Stays

(Bloomberg) -- The African National Congress said it is open to discussing a partnership with any of its rivals after South Africa’s ruling party lost its national majority for the first time in 30 years.

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However, its Secretary General Fikile Mbalula stipulated any coalition will need to include President Cyril Ramaphosa as its head, setting a high bar for a deal with uMkhonto weSizwe Party led by former President Jacob Zuma, who has made Ramaphosa’s exit the price of their support.

Read More: S.Africa Election Results With 99.9% Voting Districts In

“Ramaphosa is the president of the ANC. If you have that demand, forget,” he told reporters on Sunday at the Electoral Commission’s operations center north of Johannesburg. “No political party will dictate terms like that to us. That is a no go area.”

With ballots from 99.9% of voting districts counted in the May 29 election, the ANC has 40.2% share, down from 57.5% in 2019 as voters dealt a historic rebuke to the party Nelson Mandela led to power at the end of apartheid. The main opposition Democratic Alliance has 21.8%, and Zuma’s MKP 14.6%.

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