South Africa's President Secures Second Term Thanks To Late Deal
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has been re-elected for a second term after securing a last-minute coalition agreement to gain majority support in parliament. This came after long-drawn negotiations between Ramaphosa's ruling African National Congress party and several smaller political groups.
The ANC had failed to win an outright majority in the national elections held in May, securing only 230 out of 400 seats in the National Assembly. This left the party short of the 201 seats needed to form a government on its own. Intense negotiations followed over the past few months to bring onboard smaller parties in a coalition.
A breakthrough was achieved just before the parliament's first sitting this week. Ramaphosa's ANC struck a deal with the Inkatha Freedom Party and some community-based parties to collectively cross the majority mark. This paved the way for the 68-year-old president to be reelected for a full five-year term in the vote held in the National Assembly on Wednesday.
The new coalition government will aim to address persistent challenges of unemployment, inequality and economic recovery in the country. Ramaphosa had come to power in 2018 promising reforms after his predecessor Jacob Zuma resigned amid corruption allegations. However, he will need the support of coalition partners to accelerate key reforms and push through an agenda of anti-graft measures in his second term.
