CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South Africa’s main political rivals are now partners in government after coming together in a last-minute coalition deal that dramatically saw President Cyril Ramaphosa re-elected with cross-party support , and the liberation of a struggling country was a boost.
The deal was only sealed on Friday on the sidelines of a marathon parliamentary session, allowing Ramaphosa to be re-elected for a second term hours later with the help of opposition lawmakers who were once his loudest critics.
The coalition between Ramaphosa’s African National Congress and the Democratic Alliance – South Africa’s only major party with a white leader – means Africa’s most industrialized country can now form a government after a political deadlock that threatened economic stability.
More than that, it has rejuvenated a country burdened by poverty, unemployment, corruption, crime and failing public services. South Africans see a glimmer of hope in the alliance between two parties with very different ideologies who have said they will work together for the good of the people.
It could bring new unity to a country still struggling with the legacy of the brutal apartheid system of racial segregation that ended in 1994.
Here’s how the unlikely deal was reached and what it means for South Africa, a prominent voice for developing countries:
Political deadlock
The unprecedented standoff came after the ANC lost its 30-year majority in parliament in elections on May 29, which exposed the frustrations of millions of poor black South Africans still seeking a better life decades after the end of white minority rule . Many left the ANC, which liberated the country from apartheid and has been the ruling party ever since, leaving it with only 40% of the vote.
Although it remained the largest party, the once dominant ANC was unable to form a government on its own for the first time or re-elect Ramaphosa to parliament. Thus began two weeks of frenzied talks with the DA, the second largest party and a surprising choice for a coalition partner, to reach an agreement with a deadline looming.
South Africa’s constitution requires a new parliament to convene and vote for a president within fourteen days of the election results being announced. The ANC and DA were in a race against time to secure the country’s most important political deal in three decades.
Breakthrough
The ANC announced on Thursday evening that an agreement in principle had been reached, but discussions on the finer details were continuing. They broke out around 2 a.m. Friday, officials said, and when the new parliament opened later that day and lawmakers were sworn in, there was no deal.
The country was gripped as the proceedings were broadcast live with no idea whether a president would be elected. The head of the prosecutor’s negotiating team said at the time that the two sides had “found each other” but that there was still an arduous wait for a formal document to be signed as the clock ticked.
It happened during a break in parliamentary proceedings and DA leader John Steenhuisen announced in an address to the nation that his party would end its long-held opposition to the ANC by voting for Ramaphosa as president. Ramaphosa was re-elected at the end of the fourteen-hour session, with the votes of DA lawmakers helping him over the line.
Ramaphosa, 71, who was deeply involved in the anti-apartheid struggle, and 48-year-old Steenhuisen, a teenager when apartheid ended, smiled and shook hands. Ramaphosa called it a “new era of hope” for South Africa.
Opposition to the coalition
The agreement includes at least two other smaller parties and Ramaphosa has invited all parties represented in Parliament to join a broader coalition under the banner of a government of national unity.
Some have refused, including former president Jacob Zuma’s new MK party and the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters. They are the third and fourth largest parties respectively and are now likely to continue in the role of opposition.
Moving forward
While the ANC and DA’s efforts to find broad common ground are praised, no one doubts that governing together will be complex in the long term.
They disagree on many issues, including on nationalization versus privatization of key sectors of the economy, on healthcare financing, on labor rights and foreign policy, with the DA having criticized the openly pro-Russian and pro-Palestinian stance of the ANC.
Analysts say they must find an effective way to work together quickly given South Africa’s pressing problems, including some of the world’s highest levels of unemployment, inequality and violent crime. They are a stain on the reputation of a country that holds itself out as a leader for its continent and the wider developing world.
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AP Africa News: https://apnews.com/hub/africa
