CAPE TOWN, South Africa (Reuters) – The African National Congress (ANC), Nelson Mandela’s historic party, concluded an agreement on Friday with the Democratic Alliance (DA), a center-right group emanating mainly from the white community, to form a government of national unity at the head of South Africa.
This alliance of opposites, hitherto deemed impossible after 30 years of undivided domination of the ANC, marks a turning point in South African political history since the end of apartheid, the victory of the ANC and the election of Nelson Mandela as President of the Republic in 1994.
“Today, South Africa is a better country than it was yesterday. For the first time since 1994, we have committed to a peaceful and democratic transfer of power to a new government that will be different from precedent,” Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen said in a televised address.
“From this day forward, the Democratic Alliance will co-govern the Republic of South Africa in a spirit of unity and cooperation,” he added, describing the government as the “new normal”.
This is a revolution for the Democratic Alliance, which has worked to erase its image as a large “white”, liberal party, defending the interests of the wealthy classes, and viewed with distrust by ANC voters. .
The coalition will also include the Zulu nationalist Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and the Patriotic Alliance (PA).
This political recomposition follows the setback suffered by the ANC during the elections of May 29.
The ANC won 159 of the 400 seats in the National Assembly, the Democratic Alliance 87.
Deprived of an absolute majority for the first time since the end of apartheid, the party spent two weeks in negotiations to give birth to this government agreement, which was to allow the reappointment of ANC leader Cyril Ramaphosa, 71 years old, for a second presidential term during a session of the new National Assembly on Friday.
“This day marks the beginning of a new era where we put aside our differences and come together for the good of all South Africans,” wrote Sihle Zikalala, a member of the ANC national executive committee, on the X network.
Under the terms of the agreement, the position of vice-president of the National Assembly will go to a member of the Democratic Alliance.
(Nellie Peyton; French version Zhifan Liu and Sophie Louet)
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