South Africa: South Africa’s president has announced a new cabinet over a month after elections caused his African National Congress (ANC) party to lose its majority.
Following weeks of impasse that prevented the establishment of an unprecedented governing coalition, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the names of 32 ministerial seats in the government of national unity late on Sunday.
According to the release, the ANC will have 20 of the 32 positions. The Democratic Alliance (DA) party will occupy another six seats, with the remaining seats being divided among many minor coalition parties.
After his party, which has dominated South African politics since the end of apartheid, lost its legislative majority for the first time since 1994 in elections on May 29, Ramasopha was forced into the historic power-sharing arrangement with DA and others.
The ANC, which is used to easy wins of over 60 percent of the vote, received just 40 percent of the vote in the May 29 election as voters became disenchanted with the party due to issues with poverty, inadequate services, and some of the highest unemployment and inequality rates in the world. With 21 percent, the opposition DA claimed the second-largest share.
According to Ramaphosa, the new government would prioritize such concerns on Sunday. As per Ramaphosa, “We have demonstrated that there are no issues that are too complex or unsolvable that they cannot be resolved through dialogue.”
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