South Africa’s parliament on Friday put faith in Cyril Ramaphosa once again by re-electing him as the country’s president for another five-year term.
It became possible because his African National Congress (ANC) entered into a government of national unity (GNU) with three other parties including the main opposition Democratic Alliance.
But will this alliance hold long enough to see out Ramaphasa’s second term in office?
The rainbow nation needs political stability to weather some of of the storm brewed around the socio-economic crises which played into the hands of the ANC’s opponents and led to its worst election performance since the dawn of black majority rule.
Some political observers are of the view that while there are policy differences between the ANC and its new political bedfellow in the DA over land redistribution and the economy, they may not be mutually averse to the idea of a durable compromise especially if the situation in South Africa desperately requires this.
”There may be divisions, even rifts along the way, but South African politicians have shown a great capacity for compromise and it would not be far-fetched to expect this”, says one of them who requested anonymity.
Ramaphosa who emerged victorious in a vote in which he contested against Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema for the right to control Union Buildings, the official headquarters of the South African government, will from now on be treading a political tightrope to satisfy his constituents and those of his coalition partners.
He is expected to announce his cabinet after the inaugural ceremony set for next Wednesday.
The decision to elect Ramaphosa followed tense inter-party talks over the past two weeks in the aftermath of a hung parliament after the ANC failed to garner more than 50 percent of the vote in national elections held last month.
The talks culminated in the ANC forging a historic GNU with the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), the socially conservative Inkatha Freedom Party and the right-wing Patriotic Alliance.
The GNU pact signals an end to the ANC’s unchallenged dominance in South African politics.
Meanwhile, ANC’s Thoko Didiza was elected as Speaker of the National Assembly and DA’s Annelie Lotriet as Deputy Speaker.
JN/as/APA