South African president Cyril Ramaphosa looks set to form a government of national unity (GNU) with four other allied parties when South Africa’s parliament meets tomorrow for the first time after the recent election.
Decisions about which parties will join a governing coalition were still up in the air hours before parliament was due to sit. Under the constitution a new government must be formed within 14 days of the election, and the chief justice has ruled that the president must also be elected on this day.
The ANC had to do a deal with at least one of the other significant parties, after it won less than 50% of the vote in the recent election (40.18%). Last-minute meetings were being held around the country as the ANC scrambled to firm up its alliance. However, reports are emerging that the ANC is likely to have the votes that will help Ramaphosa secure the presidency.
