2019 South African general election

2019 South African general election

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All 400 seats in the National Assembly 201 seats needed for a majority
Registered	26,756,649
Turnout	66.05% ( 7.43pp)
First party Second party Third party   Leader Cyril Ramaphosa Mmusi Maimane Julius Malema Party ANC DA EFF Last election 62.15%, 249 seats 22.23%, 89 seats 6.35%, 25 seats Seats won 230 84 44 Seat change 19 5 19 Popular vote 10,026,475 3,622,531 1,882,480 Percentage 57.50% 20.77% 10.80% Swing 4.65pp 1.46pp 4.45pp   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi Pieter Groenewald Kenneth Meshoe Party IFP VF+ ACDP Last election 2.40%, 10 seats 0.90%, 4 seats 0.57%, 3 seats Seats won 14 10 4 Seat change 4 6 1 Popular vote 588,839 414,864 146,262 Percentage 3.38% 2.38% 0.84% Swing 0.98pp 1.48pp 0.27pp
President before election Cyril Ramaphosa ANC Elected President Cyril Ramaphosa ANC

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General elections were held in South Africa on 8 May 2019 to elect a new President, National Assembly and provincial legislatures in each province. These were the sixth elections held since the end of apartheid in 1994 and determined who would become the next President of South Africa.

Incumbent President Cyril Ramaphosa led the ruling African National Congress, with the party attempting to retain its majority status and secure Ramaphosa a full term in office as president; his predecessor, Jacob Zuma, resigned from office on 14 February 2018. Zuma was already ineligible for a third term in office as the South African Constitution limits a president to serve a maximum of two five-year terms.

The National Assembly election was won by the ruling African National Congress (ANC), but with a reduced majority of 57.50%, down from 62.15% in the 2014 election. This was the ANC's lowest vote share since the introduction of non-racial democratic elections in 1994. The official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) also saw its proportion of the vote decline, from 22.23% to 20.77%, while the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) significantly grew their vote share, from 6.35% to 10.80%. The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) grew from 2.40% to 3.38%; this was the first time the party's vote share increased since 1994. The Freedom Front Plus (VF+) also grew from 0.9% to 2.38%, achieving its largest vote share since its founding.

Eight of the nine provincial legislatures were won by the ANC, though it lost its two-thirds majority in the National Council of Provinces for the first time since 1994. The EFF retained its position as official opposition in Limpopo and the North West, while simultaneously beating the Democratic Alliance to second place in Mpumalanga. The DA obtained second place in four provinces won by the ANC. In KwaZulu-Natal, the Inkatha Freedom Party beat the DA to second place for the first time since 2014. In the Western Cape, the only province not won by the ANC, the DA declined from 59.38% to 55.45%.