In 2024, the national and provincial elections held in South Africa resulted in the African National Congress (ANC) winning 159 seats in parliament. The Democratic Alliance (DA) and uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party followed, with totals of 87 and 58 seats, respectively. The ANC and DA performed better on a regional level, whereas the MK party performed better nationally.
The newly formed MK party (headed by former president Jacob Zuma) emerged as the main contributing factor for the sudden decline in support for the ANC.
Number of seats held in the National Assembly in South Africa in 2024, by political party
The National Assembly consists of 400 members. 200 seats are reserved for the provincial election results and 200 for the national election results. The number of seats that a party has in the Assembly is in proportion to the number of voters that voted for a particular party in the election. The 400 seats of the National Assembly are calculated by assigning 200 from the provincial ballot and 200 from the national list. In 2024, the provincial ballot includes independent candidates.
Elections occur in South Africa once every five years, with provincial and national elections taking place at the same time, and local/municipal elections taking place two years later. South Africa uses the proportional representation electoral system for provincial and national elections, and a combination of the proportional representation and ward system for local/municipal elections. This means that South Africans vote for their chosen party in the provincial and national elections and vote for their chosen ward candidate in the local/municipal elections.
South African citizens from the age of 18 are eligible to vote. South Africans who live outside of South Africa are also allowed to vote, but only in the national elections. To vote in the provincial or local/municipal elections, South Africans have to be resident in South Africa and be within the province and municipality they have registered in. If they live in a different province or municipality to the one they originally registered in, they will have to re-register before voting day.
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Independent Electoral Commission South Africa, & News24. (June 3, 2024). Number of seats held in the National Assembly in South Africa in 2024, by political party [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 22, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1472450/number-of-seats-held-in-the-national-assembly-in-south-africa-by-party/
Independent Electoral Commission South Africa, und News24. "Number of seats held in the National Assembly in South Africa in 2024, by political party." Chart. June 3, 2024. Statista. Accessed December 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1472450/number-of-seats-held-in-the-national-assembly-in-south-africa-by-party/
Independent Electoral Commission South Africa, News24. (2024). Number of seats held in the National Assembly in South Africa in 2024, by political party. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1472450/number-of-seats-held-in-the-national-assembly-in-south-africa-by-party/
Independent Electoral Commission South Africa, and News24. "Number of Seats Held in The National Assembly in South Africa in 2024, by Political Party." Statista, Statista Inc., 3 Jun 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1472450/number-of-seats-held-in-the-national-assembly-in-south-africa-by-party/
Independent Electoral Commission South Africa & News24, Number of seats held in the National Assembly in South Africa in 2024, by political party Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1472450/number-of-seats-held-in-the-national-assembly-in-south-africa-by-party/ (last visited December 22, 2024)
Number of seats held in the National Assembly in South Africa in 2024, by political party [Graph], Independent Electoral Commission South Africa, & News24, June 3, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1472450/number-of-seats-held-in-the-national-assembly-in-south-africa-by-party/