El marc polític de Sud-àfrica

Political Outline

Current Political Leaders

President: Cyril RAMAPHOSA (since February 2018, re-elected 19 June 2024) – ANC ; the president is both chief of state and head of government
Vice President: Paul MASHSATILE (since 7 March 2023)

Next Election Dates

Presidential: May 2029
National Council of Provinces: June 2029
National Assembly: May 2029

Current Political Context

On May 29, 2024, South Africa conducted general elections to select a new National Assembly and provincial legislatures across its nine provinces. The African National Congress (ANC) experienced a significant decline in support, losing the parliamentary majority it had maintained since 1994, though it remained the largest party. The Democratic Alliance (DA) secured second place with a slight increase in support. uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), a left-wing populist party established six months prior and led by former President Jacob Zuma, achieved third place. On June 14, 2024, the ANC, DA, Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), and Patriotic Alliance (PA) formed a national unity government, resulting in the re-election of Cyril Ramaphosa as President of South Africa.
In December 2023, South Africa filed a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), alleging violations of the 1948 Genocide Convention due to Israel's actions in Gaza. South Africa contends that Israel's military operations demonstrate an intent to destroy the Palestinian population in Gaza. The ICJ has acknowledged receipt of South Africa's application, and Israel is required to respond by July 2025.

Main Political Parties

The main political parties in South Africa are:

• African National Congress (ANC): ruling party in power since the end of apartheid and Nelson Mandela's election in 1994. Although its popularity declined by several percentage points between 2004 and 2024, in the latest elections it obtained 40% of the votes
• Democratic Alliance (DA): official opposition, centrist, supports liberal democracy and free market principles, progressively gaining in popularity
• uMkhonto weSizwe ('Spear of the Nation' - MK): left-wing populist, founded by former president Jacob Zuma just six months before the June 2024 elections, it obtained the third-highest number of votes
• Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF): far-left, Marxist
• Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP): conservative, right-wing, dominated by rural, Zulu-speakers based in the KwaZulu-Natal region; emphasises social justice and the role of traditional communities
• Patriotic Alliance (PA): right wing to far-right, conservatism
• Freedom Front Plus (FF+): right-wing, advocates for the rights of Afrikaans-speaking South Africans and minority groups
• ActionSA: centre-right, liberism.

Executive Power

The President is both the chief of state and the head of the Government. The President is indirectly elected by the Parliament (lower house) to serve a five-year term. He/She is usually the leader of the largest party. The President is the also commander-in-chief of the armed forces, declares war or peace and appoints the Cabinet.

Legislative Power

South Africa has a bicameral legislature. The National Council of Provinces (the upper house) has 90 seats, with 10 members elected by each of the nine provincial legislatures for five-year terms. The National Assembly (the lower house) has 400 seats; the members are directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve 5-year terms.

The executive branch of the Government is directly or indirectly dependent on the support of the Parliament, often expressed through a vote of confidence. The President can dissolve the Parliament if a majority of the members of the National Assembly seek its dissolution and if has been at least three years since the last election.

Indicator of Freedom of the Press

World Rank:

32/180

Indicator of Political Freedom

Ranking:

Free

Political Freedom:

2/7

Political freedom in the world (interactive map)
Source: Freedom in the World Report, Freedom House