South Africa’s parliament has re-elected Cyril Ramaphosa as president of the country after a coalition agreement between the ruling African National Congress (ANC) and opposition parties, the BBC reported on Saturday.
The new national unity government brings together Mr. Ramaphosa’s ANC, the center-right Democratic Alliance (DA) and smaller parties.
In his speech, Mr. Ramaphosa welcomed the new coalition and said voters expected the leaders to “act and work together for the benefit of all the people of our country.”
The National Assembly was in session late into the evening to vote on who would hold power in the new administration. The deal comes after weeks of speculation about who the ANC would partner with after losing its parliamentary majority for the first time in 30 years in last month’s elections.
The ANC won 40% of the vote, while the DA came in second with 22%.
ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula called the coalition agreement “a great step”.
This means that Mr. Ramaphosa, who succeeded Jacob Zuma as president and leader of the ANC after a fierce power struggle in 2018, was able to retain power. Mr. Ramaphosa’s next step will be to distribute positions in the cabinet, which will include members of the DA.
Speaking to lawmakers in Cape Town on Friday, John Steenhuisen, the leader of the DA, said: “Today is a historic day for our country and I think it is the beginning of a new chapter.”
The National Assembly also swore in the speaker of the ANC, and the post of deputy speaker went to the DA.
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PRESIDENT, Ramaphosa, South African Parliament
