#SOUTHAFRICA: ANC Loses Majority In Election, Must Seek Coalition

[world politics news]

The African National Congress (ANC) Party has lost its parliamentary majority in a historic election result that puts South Africa on a new political path for the first time since the end of the apartheid system of white minority rule 30 years ago. Now, it will have to seek coalition partners with other parties to firm a government for the first time.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#THEMALDIVES: Bill Would Restrict Media Coverage Of Elections

[world politics news]

The Maldives parliament has opened debate on an amendment to the country’s General Elections Act proposed in mid-February by a lawmaker with the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party, which would allow only journalists working for media outlets registered with the government and approved by the Election Commission to report from voting and vote-counting sites on election days, according to multiple news reports and Ahmed Naif, secretary-general of the Maldives Journalists Association.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#SOUTHAFRICA: Ballot Bill Raises Cost Concerns

[world politics news]

 

South Africa's Constitutional Court found in June 2020 that exclusive party proportional representation could no longer be used and that independent candidates should be allowed to stand for provincial and national elections.

In its judgment, the court gave parliament 24 months to correct the defect in the Electoral Act. The deadline is June.

But the ruling African National Congress Party has raised concerns about the bill currently before the National Assembly to solve the problem, which they say would make the paper ballots extremely long and expensive to produce.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#SOUTHAFRICA: Cyril Ramaphosa Inaugurated President

[world politics news]

Cyril Ramaphosa has taken the oath of office as president of South Africa in front of a crowd of thousands, including African dignitaries at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria.

His African National Congress Party won elections earlier this month with s majority of 7.5%, the smallest since the party came to power 25 years ago. Ramaphosa was then unanimously elected president by Parliament.

He became deputy president in 2014, and has served as president since the resignation of Pres. Jacob Zuma in February, 2018.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#SOUTHAFRICA: Group Says It Has List Of 195 White-Owned Farms Government Plans To Take Without Compensation

[world politics news]

AfriForum, a lobby group which mainly represents white South Africans, says it has obtained a list of 195 farms which the government is planning to seize from white farmers without compensation. The chair of the African National Congress is on record as saying the government should take land from those who own more than 3,000 acres of land. The Rand, South Africa's currency, fell on financial markets after ANC chair Gwede Mantashe, an ally of President Cyril Ramaphosa, said this week that major landowners should have their land taken without compensation. Ramaphosa, for his part, has publicly denied the existence of the list.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#SOUTHAFRICA: Jacob Zuma Resigns As President, Leaving Behind Legacy Of Corruption

[world politics news]

In a momentous and historic day in South African politics, scandal-plagued President Jacob Zuma resigned after days of defying orders from the ruling African National Congress to leave office and on the eve of a no-confidence vote in parliament. In a televised address to the nation late on Wednesday, the 75-year-old said he was a disciplined member of the ANC, to which he had dedicated his life. His tenure has been marred by economic decline and multiple charges of graft that have undermined the image and legitimacy of the party that led South Africans to freedom in 1994.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#SOUTHAFRICA: Pres. Zuma Ordered To Resign By His Own Party; His Refusal Is Causing A Crisis

[world politics news]

South Africa has been pitched into an unprecedented political crisis after the ruling ANC party admitted that President Jacob Zuma had defied its orders to resign, and that it had little idea of when the 75-year-old head of state would respond to its demand to leave office (although, as of Tuesday night, Zuma said he would hold a press conference at 10 am local time on Wednesday.) The decision to tell the corruption-stained Zuma to stand down was taken at an emergency session of the highest decision-making body of the African National Congress near Pretoria, the administrative capital.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#SOUTHAFRICA: Pres. Zuma Seeks To Replicate Zimbabwe By Taking White-Owned Lands

[world politics news]

Pres. Jacob Zuma says he will lead an effort to take "land back to the people," and part of this plan involves taking white-owned properties without compensation. It's a policy reminiscent of Pres. Mugabe's Zimbabwe, whose actions have made that nation an economic ruin, but Zuma insists it will transform the economy, and recently sent the Land Expropriation Bill back to Parliament for further consideration. The bill was passed by Parliament in May last year, but requires the government to purchase property on reasonable terms.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#SOUTHAFRICA: Party Calls For Investigation Of Frmr. Police Min. Over Fatal Mine Shooting

[world politics news]

Members of Parliament from the Congress Of the People Party is calling on an Ad Hoc Committee to be established to further investigate Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa and former Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa for their alleged involvement in the 2012 Marikana fatal shooting of 34 mine workers by the police.

[FULL STORY HERE]

Pictured: Former Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa

#SOUTHAFRICA: Diplomat Approved As New Top Anti-Corruption Chief

[world politics news]

Parliament has approved high-level civil servant Busisiwe Mkhwebane's nomination to replace outgoing Thuli Madonsela as Public Protector, the nation's top anti-corruption position whose findings have dogged Pres. Jacob Zuma. Mkhwebane, 46, a lawyer whose most recent job was with the State Security Agency (SSA), has also worked as a director at Home Affairs and as an immigration official in China.

#SOUTHAFRICA: ANC Majority Allows Pres. Zuma To Survive Impeachment Vote

[world politics news]

The lower house of Parliament has voted 233 to 143 not to impeach Pres. Jacob Zuma, despite a court ruling he had violated the nation's constitution. The governing African National Congress, which has 249 seats, defeated the opposition Democratic Alliance Party-sponsored motion, saying Zuma was not guilty of "serious misconduct."

#SOUTHAFRICA: Pres. Zuma Faces Impeachment Over Violations Of Constitution And Influence Peddling Accusations

[world politics news]

Pres. Jacob Zuma faces impeachment after the nation's high court said he violated the constitution by misusing state funds to renovate his home, and amid accusations that a powerful family tried to force the appointment of cabinet members sympathetic to their business interests. His party holds the parliament so he is likely to survive impeachment, but calls for his resignation are increasing.

#SOUTHAFRICA: Zulu Nation's King Praises Apartheid Regime; Says Blacks "Burn" Infrastructure Whites Built

[world politics news]

In a speech sure to stoke controversy, King Goodwill Zwelithini of the Zulu nation praised South Africa's apartheid era, saying history would judge black people harshly, since they had failed to build on the successes of the Afrikaner regime, and the king (himself black) said black South Africans "loved to use matches" to burn down infrastructure built during apartheid.

#SOUTHAFRICA; #ANC Calls Democratic Alliance Whip's Question of Chief Whip's Education "Racist"

[world politics news]

A private request by the Whip of the opposition Democratic Alliance Party for the ANC's Chief Whip to provide evidence that she had actually earned a Doctorate in Philosophy was made public, with ANC officials calling it "racist" to question her qualifications, something she has yet to make public. The DA Whip says the request was not racist.

#SOUTHAFRICA: Party's Loud Demonstration in Parliament was "Anarchy" Says Gov't

[world politics news]

The ANC government, joined by another party, condemned as "a display of anarchy" the noisy demonstration by the Economic Freedom Fighters party in Parliament Thursday that caused the body to be adjourned.

#SOUTHAFRICA

ANC Wins 63% in Vote, DA, Other Parties,  Make Gains [world politics news]

#SOUTHAFRICA

Scandal-Plagued Pres. Zuma Booed At Mandela Funeral Appearance [world politics news]

#SOUTHAFRICA

Zuma Defends Job Creation Record, Says He's Fighting Corruption [world politics news]

#SOUTHAFRICA

Oppo Ldr Helen Zilla on Facebook Decries Lawlessness, Corrupt Police [world politics news]

SOUTH AFRICA: Gov't Faces Backlash After Deaths of Soldiers Exposes Military Intervention [world politics news]