South African ruling party holds onto power

The African National Congress (ANC) party had secured a victory in South Africa’s general elections by Friday, but its diminishing majority revealed growing dissatisfaction with the party that has ruled for 25 years. The ANC clinched 57 percent of the votes with 80 percent of the ballots counted. The opposition Democratic Alliance party came in second with 21 percent of the vote. It marks the first time the ruling party secured less than a 60 percent victory since the country’s first free vote in 1994.

President Cyril Ramaphosa took power last year after former President Jacob Zuma resigned amid corruption allegations. The graft investigations angered many voters, who also criticized failing public services, high unemployment, and high levels of crime. Ramaphosa pledged to improve the economy and rid the ruling party of corruption.

“We have made mistakes but we have been sorry about those mistakes and we are saying our people should reinvest their confidence in us,” he said after casting his vote. Final results are expected on Saturday.