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ANC has now initiated backroom talks with the opposition parties for cobbling up a progressive coalition to save the largest and oldest democracy in the continent from drifting into an uncharted sea. But there is a condition. Ramaphosa should remain as the leader of the coalition and make no compromise on that.
South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) has begun talks with rivals to form a government after losing a parliamentary majority. The final tally party-wise is: Of the 400 seats, ANC obtained 159 in the National Assembly, followed by Democratic Alliance (87) and the recently formed MK party of Jacob Zuma (58) in the May 29 elections. While DA has maintained its tally, the loser is ANC, a fall from 230 seats last time to 159, a precipitous decline of 71 seats, conceding most of the seats lost to Jacob Zuma’s MK Party.
ANC has now initiated backroom talks with the opposition parties for cobbling up a progressive coalition to save the largest and oldest democracy in the continent from drifting into an uncharted sea. But there is a condition. Ramaphosa should remain as the leader of the coalition and make no compromise on that. As the party having the largest number of vote share and number of seats, the demand is genuine. But it is a different matter whether the coalition partners will agree to it, especially when it is forced to team up with its splinter group – the MK Party of Jacob Zuma because of the personal rivalry between the two leaders.
Under the constitution, South Africa’s National Assembly must convene within 14 days to elect a speaker and a president after the declaration of the election outcome. All eyes are on the speaker slot. If DA joins as the coalition partner, it will naturally demand that post. In all likelihood, that demand will be conceded for the greater interest of the governance. Yet, the ANC will have to concede ground mainly on two counts. First, the ANC will have to reduce or if not do away with its rhetoric against whites and bury the long-time demand to acquire back properties illegally kept by the White minority. Ramaphosa will be more receptive to that coalition since the ANC can maintain its identity and the question of more people from his affiliation joining DA is remote. Secondly, DA will embark on a fast track to privatization as against the gradual process of implementing the market economy followed by the Ramaphosa government.
That may not be the case when the ANC decides to join with the MK Party. Wily Jacob Zuma, though an octogenarian, can veer away from ANC members to his party. He can also demand a higher say both in government formation and in the policy apparatus. The corruption cases filed against him will be on the back burner. Political analysts feel that Ramaphosa may not have wished for such a suicidal pact.
Read Also;
https://trendsnafrica.com/south-african-election-coalition-becomes-certainty-not-partners/
https://trendsnafrica.com/anc-to-lose-majority-in-south-africa/
Meanwhile, it is reliably learnt that DA leaders are leaning toward seeking a formal coalition with the ANC in which they would receive some cabinet posts and control of several parliamentary portfolio committees. An alliance with the DA would be welcomed by financial markets as it would likely see the acceleration of economic reforms and privatisation initiatives that Ramaphosa has begun to implement. It could also see chronic power and water shortages tackled and action taken to improve the woeful performance of the freight rail and port networks.
