The ANC, which lost its parliamentary majority in a May election, agreed to enter into a government of national unity with other parties.
A unity government was formed in South Africa with the ruling African National Congress (ANC) and its largest rival, the Democratic Alliance (DA), signing a deal.
The ANC won just 40% of the vote, forcing Nelson Mandela’s legacy liberation movement to negotiate a power-sharing agreement with rival parties for the first time in 30 years.
Senior DA negotiator Helen Zille on Friday confirmed her party and the ANC had signed a deal for a unity government.
After spearheading talks of an alliance with opposition parties, Cyril Ramaphosa, 71, was on Friday set to be elected for a second five-year term as president of Africa’s most industrialized economy.
The ANC losing supporters in the last vote meant it needed MPs from parties that were once its main political foes to now support Mr Ramaphosa and continue the ANC’s three-decade hold on the presidency.
Following two weeks of intensive talks with opposition parties, Sihle Zikalala, a member of the ANC’s governing body, said in a post on X: “Today marks the beginning of a new era where we put our differences aside and unite for the betterment of all South Africans.”
The newly elected National Assembly – where the ANC holds 159 of its 400 seats, while the DA has 87 – began proceedings with the swearing-in of MPs.
The chamber was then due to elect its speaker and deputy speaker before the country’s president is nominated.
The ANC’s main reservation about joining forces with the pro-business DA had been that while the party is liked by investors because of its free-market policies, it is unpopular with its own voters who see it as a defender of the privileged white minority’s interests.
The ANC has over the last decade seen its support dwindle amid widespread poverty, a stagnating economy, rising unemployment, and power and water shortages.
The poverty disproportionately affects black people, who make up 80% of the population and have been the core of the ANC’s support for years.
The new government of national unity combines Mr Ramaphosa’s ANC, the centre-right Democratic Alliance (DA) and smaller parties.
In his victory speech, Mr Ramaphosa hailed the new coalition, and said voters expected the leaders to “to act and to work together for the good of everyone in our country”.
The agreement was hashed out on a day of high political drama, which saw the National Assembly sitting late into the evening for votes to confirm who would hold power in the new administration.
Earlier, a deal was struck following weeks of speculation about whom the ANC would partner with after losing its parliamentary majority for the first time in 30 years in last month’s elections.
It got 40% of the vote, while the DA came second with 22%.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula called the coalition deal a “remarkable step”.
It meant Mr Ramaphosa – who replaced Jacob Zuma as both president and ANC leader following a bitter power struggle in 2018 – was able to retain power.
The next step is for Mr Ramaphosa to allocate cabinet positions, which will include members of the DA.
The multi-party deal does not involve two ANC breakaway parties, and they will probably benefit if it fails to deliver economic improvements demanding by voters.
But opinion polls suggest many South Africans want this unprecedented grand coalition to succeed
Cyril Ramaphosa reelected South Africa’s president for second term.
