Zuma Poised for Victory in South Africa

ANC wins big majority, but final result remains unclear

By Jason Farago

Posted Apr 23, 2009 6:52 AM CDT

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Zuma Poised for Victory in South Africa — African National Congress president Jacob Zuma, right, casts his ballot at the Ntolwane primary school in the village of Kwanxamabala, South Africa, Wednesday, April 22, 2009. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Jacob Zuma is on course to be the next president of South Africa, reports the Mail and Guardian, as early results from yesterday's election show his African National Congress capturing just under 65% of votes cast. While Zuma's victory was never in doubt, it remains uncertain whether the ANC will maintain its two-thirds majority in parliament, which allows it to amend the constitution.

With one in five ballots counted, the opposition Democratic Alliance had 17.9%, while the Congress of the People, which broke from the ANC, had 7.75%. But in provincial elections, the Democratic Alliance has wrested control of Western Cape, the country's most ethnically diverse province, in what one analyst called "a blow for the ANC." Zuma is expected to address supporters later today.
(More Jacob Zuma stories.)

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