National Business
South Africa’s ruling ANC cruising to lead in national vote
The Associated Press
May 09, 2019 11:40 PM
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Mmusi Maimane, leader of the largest opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, is greeted by a supporter as he visits the Independent Electoral Commission Results Center in Pretoria, South Africa Thursday, May 9, 2019. South Africans voted Wednesday in a national election and preliminary results show that the ruling African National Congress party (ANC) has an early lead in the national elections but has seen its share of the vote drop significantly.
Ben Curtis
AP Photo
JOHANNESBURG
The ruling African National Congress is coasting to a comfortable lead in South Africa’s presidential and parliamentary elections with 76% of the vote counted, but the ongoing tally shows the party getting less support than in the previous poll five years ago.
The ANC, led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, had 57% of the vote, according to results announced by the electoral commission on Friday. This is a dip from the 62% of the total vote that it won in 2014.
The Democratic Alliance has received nearly 22% of the vote so far, the most of any opposition party, about the same share it received in the last elections.
The populist, left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters increased its share of the vote from 6% to 10%.