With no electoral winner, the nation heads for a coalition government which raises even more fears about the stability of such a government. In politics, they say there are no permanent enemies, and the adage will prove true soon, as parties that have been at wits' end are forced by the electorate to join hands and form a collation government. The ANC emerged from the country's May 29 election with just 40.2% of the vote, down from 57.5% five years ago. The drop signifies a diminishing popularity vote for the ANC as it has been saddled with corruption accusations, poor service delivery and more recently frequenting power cuts which seem to have infuriated South African citizens. Addressing the nation on the electoral results recently, President Cyril Ramaphosa said that South Africans had voiced their choice, that they want political parties to merge and work together for the betterment of the country. But the devil is going to be in the details, the merging of different political parties with different ideologies poses significant stumbling blocks to coalition negotiations.
"Our people expect all parties to work together within the framework of our Constitution and address whatever challenges we encounter peacefully and in accordance with the prescripts of our Constitution and the rule of law,’’ he said. ANC-DA coalition The ANC has more bargaining power with its 40% voter’s percentage and will want to hang onto power and lead coalition talks. The first option may be to consider striking a deal with the DA — traditionally its main opponent. A coalition of SA`s prominent and poll leading parties could be more stable than partnerships with newer, more radical formations. Both parties are also more conservative economically than the MK Party and the EFF, which espouse left-leaning policies. The DA recently announced that it would commence talks with the ANC in an effort to block what some have described as a “doomsday coalition” between the ANC, EFF and MK Party. DA leader, John Steenhuisen, recently told international media that “I, too, am a father to three young daughters. And, like millions of other South Africans, I do not want them to grow up in a country run by a party like MK, that wants to abolish the Constitution which so many fought and died for, that wants to subvert the Judiciary, and that plans to expropriate all private property and nationalise the Reserve Bank.”
