Why the ANC’s losses are not the official opposition’s gain
For the Democratic Alliance (da), South Africa’s largest opposition party, the election on May 29th should be a golden opportunity. For the first time since it came to power in 1994 the African National Congress (anc) may lose its national majority. After 30 years many voters are fed up with some of the world’s highest rates of unemployment, inequality and murder. But the da is still struggling to persuade them that it is a better alternative.
That makes the party an interesting case study of how race and politics interact in South Africa three decades after apartheid. In most countries the main opposition party might benefit from a fall in support for the ruling party: the anc, which won 57.5% of the vote in 2019, may get 40% this time, according to some polls. Yet John Steenhuisen, the da’s leader, says that for his party to win 22%, as it did ten years ago, would be a major achievement.