South Africa's ANC and opposition announce a unity government, in a big power shift
Source: NPR
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — The African National Congress party has signed a deal to form a coalition government with the main opposition, party officials announced Friday after weeks of fevered negotiations.
Dubbed the government of national unity, this marks a seismic shift in South African politics, which has been dominated by the ANC since the end of apartheid 30 years ago. It aligns the party of the late legendary leader Nelson Mandela with its rival, the white-led, pro-business Democratic Alliance (DA) party. The coalition also includes the smaller Inkatha Freedom Party.
Will it be “good gnus or bad gnus?” has been a joke making the rounds in South Africa the past two weeks — playing on the initials of government of national unity — as political parties engaged in lengthy backroom talks to form a GNU or coalition of some sort, a necessity after the ANC lost its outright majority in May elections.
The ANC got 40% of the national vote, a wakeup call from citizens expressing their frustration with a struggling economy, high unemployment, service delivery failure and corruption.
Read more: https://www.npr.org/2024/06/14/nx-s1-5003237/south-africa-anc-da-national-unity-government-coalition