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All councillors for all 8 metropolitan municipalities All councillors for all 226 local municipalities 40% of councillors for all 44 district municipalities | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2016 South African municipal elections were held on 3 August 2016,[1] to elect councils for all district, metropolitan and local municipalities in each of the country's nine provinces.[2] It was the fifth municipal election held in South Africa since the end of apartheid in 1994; municipal elections are held every five years.
The ruling African National Congress (ANC) was the largest party overall, earning 53.9% of the total vote.[a] It was followed by the official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) with 26.9% and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) with 8.2%. Popular support for the ANC fell to its lowest level since 1994, a shift which was most pronounced in the country's urban centres.[3] Despite marginal gains in some areas, the ANC lost control of three metropolitan municipalities – namely Nelson Mandela Bay, City of Tshwane and City of Johannesburg – to opposition parties as a result of the election. The DA achieved its best local electoral performance so far, while the EFF, contesting its first local government election, improved on its performance in the 2014 general election. The local polls were widely seen a turning point in the political landscape of South Africa, as the dominance of the ANC was greatly diminished while coalition and minority governments became more widespread.[4][5]
- ^ "Local government election date announced". News24. 6 April 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
- ^ "Electoral Commission: Introduction to 2016 Municipal Elections". www.elections.org.za. Archived from the original on 23 November 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
- ^ "As urban voters desert the ANC, it will need to keep rural supporters sweet". Business Day. 8 August 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
- ^ "South Africa has broken the post-colonial narrative. It's a thrilling turning point". The Guardian. 6 August 2016. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- ^ "Political parties will have to adjust to many more coalitions". Times Live. 4 August 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
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