Wednesday’s election is crucial, amid voter uncertainty
May 8 is the first day of the rest of SA’s political life. Your vote is your chance to shape the country you want it to be.
South Africans go to the polls on Wednesday in what is the most crucial election since the one which brought the country democracy in April 1994.
That ordinary citizens are concerned about the future is echoed in high levels of voter uncertainty, but also in the record number of parties – 48 – which will be on the ballot papers.
That compares with the 29 who registered to fight the previous national election in 2014, and just 19, which were the contestants in the 1994 poll.
In 1994, when Nelson Mandela led the ANC to its first electoral victory, 19 million votes were cast in a stunning voter turnout of just under 88%.
This year, despite the large increase in our population, roughly the same number of voters are expected to make their crosses in a total turnout which will drop to just on 70%, according to forecasts.
Voter apathy – particularly among the youth and people in some rural areas where service delivery has been poor – is a growing feature of our national elections … something which worries all political parties.
Despite 25 years of democracy, there is still a mound of unfinished business in this country – and these issues have been thoroughly hashed over by all parties.
State capture and corruption have led the debate, along with land restitution and job creation, in a country with one of the highest unemployment rates in the world.
The election is critical for the three major parties.
The ANC is expected to win – but how it wins will be important. If its majority is reduced nationally, it may feel the need to move closer to the EFF on the radical side.
Many are wondering whether an emphatic victory will empower President Cyril Ramaphosa to move against his opponents in the Jacob Zuma faction … or whether it will be business as usual.
The EFF is, by all accounts, poised to improve its electoral position – but opinions vary on how well it will do. But what is certain is that it will play an even more influential role after tomorrow.
The DA might fight to hold on to its official position in the face of a strong EFF performance, but the party’s faithful have always been relied upon to come to its aid.
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