Exploring the Mechanics of South Africa’s 2024 Election

South Africans are gearing up to vote in national and provincial elections on May 29, with polls indicating a potential shift in power away from the long-standing African National Congress (ANC). The upcoming election will see voters elect a 400-member National Assembly, which will then choose the country’s next president from among its members.

The electoral system in South Africa allocates seats in the National Assembly to political parties based on the proportion of votes they receive. In the last election, the ANC secured 57.5% of the votes, translating to 230 seats in the assembly.

On election day, voting stations will be open from 0500 GMT to 1900 GMT, with voters receiving three ballots. The first ballot will be for the national assembly, the second for provincial representation, and the third for provincial legislature members.

A total of 70 political parties and 11 independent candidates will be contesting the elections, with the ruling ANC facing off against opposition parties like the Democratic Alliance and the Economic Freedom Fighters.

The Independent Electoral Commission has reported a total of 27.79 million registered voters, up from 26.74 million in 2019. However, voter turnout has been declining in recent years, with only 66% of registered voters casting their ballots in the last election.

Following the election, the National Assembly must hold its first sitting within 14 days to elect the country’s president. If no party secures a majority, coalition-building will be necessary to elect a president, a situation that has never occurred since the end of apartheid in 1994. The results are expected to be announced within seven days of the election, with the national picture emerging gradually over the following days.