South Africa’s African National Congress suffered a historic rebuke in last week’s elections, losing its parliamentary majority for the first time since it took power when apartheid ended in 1994. Now, with just 40.2% of the vote, it’s forced to seek out an alliance or coalition — likely with its biggest political rival.
The least palatable options to Ramaphosa’s centrist faction of the ANC and the markets are the leftist Economic Freedom Fighters and former President Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe Party — which won 14.6% of the vote in its inaugural election. But it might appeal to the ANC’s rank and file — the EFF and MKP are breakaways from the major party, meaning some of their members and supporters have a shared sense of identity.
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