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  The nation is on edge as the African National Congress (ANC) takes on the unusual job of picking a coalition partner to govern South Africa. Last week's election saw the ANC lose its legislative majority for the first time in three decades of democracy , failing to garner more than half of the vote. Historic Election Results Since the fall of apartheid in 1994, the ANC has continuously controlled all elections. However, disillusioned people, disgruntled by continued unemployment, inequality, and continuous power outages, gave the party only 40.2% of the vote, a considerable decrease from 57.5% in the last election five years ago. Although the ANC remains the largest party, its diminished vote share makes it impossible to rule alone, plunging South Africa into unknown territory In his weekly address on Monday, President Cyril Ramaphosa stated, “This moment in our country calls for responsible leadership and constructive engagement.” Coalition Negotiations Potential coalition part...

  The public’s tolerance for the ruling African National Congress (ANC), which has ruled since the end of apartheid thirty years ago, will be put to the test in South Africa’s May 29 election. Polls indicate that President Cyril Ramaphosa and his party may lose more than 50% of the national vote for the first time as they struggle to hold onto their parliamentary majority. Even with the predicted drop in support, the ANC is still predicted to win the majority of the vote. To keep in power and guarantee Ramaphosa’s second term as president, it will, however, need to build a coalition in the absence of an absolute majority. With the recent municipal coalition government failures, this change may bring new challenges. A political expert at Tshwane University of Technology, Dr. Levy Ndou, warned against the volatility that coalition governments may bring. “Coalitions in various metros have shown that they often lack principle, which could lead to further instability in South Africa,” N...