POLL | With whom should the ANC form a coalition?

As the election dust settles political parties are faced with the mammoth task of maturely forming a government.

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) declared the election results during a ceremony at the national results operations centre on Sunday, where President Cyril Ramaphosa and other dignitaries were in attendance.

The declaration by the IEC will help foster the seventh administration, which will lead the country for the next five years.

South Africa's top five parties are the ANC (40.18%), DA (21.81%), MK Party (14.58%), EFF (9.52%) and IFP (3.85%).

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said on Sunday the party was open to talks with other parties to form a new government.

He said party officials had mandated him to head a team in “talks about talks” with parties willing to enter into negotiations with the ANC.

Former president Jacob Zuma’s MK Party has been clear it would not go into any coalition with the ANC led by Ramaphosa.

DA leader John Steenhuisen said the DA’s federal executive resolved to start formal discussions about forming a coalition with other political parties, including the ANC.

Steenhuisen said he was clear when he was re-elected in 2023 that he would make it the party’s priority to prevent an ANC-EFF doomsday coalition from taking power.

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