'We are not discussing coalitions with anyone', says ANC's Bhengu-Motsiri
The African National Congress (ANC) said it had snubbed talks of coalitions despite warnings that the governing party could drop below 50% at the elections this week.
ANC supporter at the governing party’s final election rally at Soweto’s FNB Stadium in Johannesburg on 25 May 2024. Picture: X/MYANC
JOHANNESBURG - The African National Congress (ANC) said it had snubbed talks of coalitions despite warnings that the governing party could drop below 50% at the elections this week.
Several opinion polls have put the party between 37% and 45%, raising speculation about the country’s political landscape in the future.
Political pundits have also warned that the party will face its toughest elections since 1994.
In most scenarios, political experts believe the ANC will need to pair up with smaller parties in the aftermath of the elections.
But if the ANC's support drops considerably, then the party may need to turn to the Democratic Alliance (DA), Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), or Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) either on a national scale or in the provinces.
Political experts believe if this happens, then ANC will have to make concessions on policy and deployments to please coalition partners.
ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said that it would not get to this.
"We really are confidently working towards a majority, even in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal."
She said the party was so confident that it had no contingency plan in place.
"We are not discussing coalitions with anyone; we're not even entertaining the thought."
The outcomes for the elections are expected to have far-reaching implications for the country's socioeconomic setting.