Could a coin flip decide who becomes KwaZulu-Natal’s next premier?
If the 80 newly elected legislators are unable to create a unity government in which the parties with the most representation divide the spoils, then this scenario is not unfeasible.
There are 80 seats in the province legislature. The MKP would have 37 seats in the end, with the IFP (15), the ANC (14), the DA (11), the EFF (2), and the NFP (one) following.
This implies that the one NFP lawmaker will have the last say in selecting the province’s premier and government. As a party that broke away from the IFP, the NFP now forms an alliance with the ANC in eThekwini, the deputy mayor of which is Zandile Myeni.
If this alliance reaches the legislature, Zuma’s MKP, which received 46% of the provincial vote, would be left out in the cold if the NFP member casts a vote with the ANC-IFP-DA to choose a premier from among their ranks.
Both the MKP and the EFF will receive 40 seats apiece if the NFP candidate votes with them. According to the Constitution, candidates must run for office until there are just two remaining.
The Constitution mandates that the legislature have another round of voting within seven days if two candidates—in this case, maybe from the MKP and the IFP/ANC—get an equal number of votes. However, the outcome if they tie again with 40 votes apiece is left unsaid in the Constitution.
