Fateful elections South African voters go to the polls

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Voters in South Africa have begun voting in elections that may constitute a major political shift, as opinion polls indicate, as voters will choose nine local legislators and members of parliament nationwide who will in turn choose the next president.

Polling stations opened today, Wednesday, at five in the morning GMT, and close at seven in the morning GMT, and there are more than 27 million registered voters out of a population of approximately 62 million people.

If the African National Congress party obtains less than 50% of the votes nationwide, it will be forced to seek one or more partners to form a ruling coalition, which will be the first in 30 years since it came to power under the leadership of Nelson Mandela at the end of apartheid.

The Election Commission is expected to begin issuing partial results within hours of the closing of polling stations, and has seven days to announce the final results.

The opposition "Economic Freedom Fighters" party is competing in the elections, and polls give it 10 percent of voting intentions, while polls give the Democratic Alliance, the most prominent opposition party, 25 percent.

It is noteworthy that South Africa, led by the African National Congress, filed a comprehensive lawsuit against Israel in the International Court of Justice at the end of December 2023, accusing Tel Aviv of “committing genocide crimes” in Gaza.