South Africa’s Members of Parliament on Wednesday re-elected Cyril Ramaphosa as the country’s president following the ruling African National Congress party’s win in parliamentary and provincial elections.
The MPs elected the head of state in parliament’s first session after the elections on May 8.
The ANC emerged victorious in South Africa’s general elections, winning with a 57.5% majority and capturing 230 out of 400 parliamentary seats.
Despite its win however, this was the ANC’s worst performance since white minority rule ended in 1994.
Ramaphosa is set to serve his first full five-year term in office since taking over from Jacob Zuma who was forced out in 2018 following a number of corruption scandals.
Rampahosa had served as South Africa’s deputy president since 2014, having risen through the ranks of politics after serving as a trade unionist.
Ramaphosa is expected to be sworn in on Saturday and name a deputy president and cabinet shortly thereafter.
Analysts say reforms, like cutting red tape and overhauling Eskom, should be post-election priorities for the ANC, after a decade of slow growth and rising joblessness in Africa’s most advanced economy.
