South Africa

ANC expects two-thirds majority

Article published on the 2009-04-23 Latest update 2009-04-23 17:37 TU

A man votes in Cape Town
(Photo: Reuters)

The African National Congress (ANC) is claiming a decisive victory in the South African election, with early returns giving it 69.7 percent of the vote. The results will hand the presidency to Jacob Zuma and are likely to give the ANC the majority needed to change the constitution at will.

With 66 per cent of votes counted, the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) has16 per cent, while the Congress of the People (Cope) appears to be at just eight per cent.

"We are expecting a solid victory," said ANC Seecretary General Gwede Mantashe, adding that a two-thirds majority would be "a bonus" but that "we aren't obsessed by this figure".

The ANC is also ahead in the provincial votes but is trailing behind the DA in the Western Cape.

"We performed very well and we will remain the official opposition, despite all the nonsense that the analysts wrote," said DA leader and Cape Town Mayor Helen Zille, referring to predictions that Cope would do better than her party.

"We will be much stronger in parliament," she told RFI. "I expect us to get between 62 and 64 seats and that'll be very good."