Infographic: Election results and allocation of seats in Parliament

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) held a press conference today, 10 May, to officially announce the results of the 2014 National and Provincial Elections. IEC Chair, Pansy Tlakula, noted the success with which the elections were held and congratulated the parties that gained seats in Parliament. The hoped the parties would serve the country with “pride, honour, integrity and humility”.

Big winners included the Democratic Alliance who will have 89 seats in Parliament, an increase from 67 in 2009, and the Economic Freedom Fighters, first time contesters in the elections, who received 25 seats in the Fifth Parliament. The African National Congress will have 249 seats, a loss of 15 seats from the 2009 elections when they had 264 seats. However, the party that experienced the biggest loss was the Congress of the People, who had 30 seats after the 2009 elections, but only received three seats now.

President Jacob Zuma thanked the people of South Africa for another successful general election. With a voter turnout of 73.48%, he noted that “the people have spoken” about who they want to govern their country, and that it was clear that the ANC was “deep-rooted in the hearts and minds of the majority South Africans". He added that it was a sign of the good work the majority party had done over the past twenty years, particularly in the last five years, in building a better life for all.

“The victory confirms that the ANC remains the only hope for the majority of South African people,” said the President. However, he stated that there was a lot more to do, and that the party was determined to do more, specifically in terms of continuing the National Development Plan.

For those that did not gain seats in Parliament, the President empathised, however, he declared that the people are never wrong and that voters make their determination based on experience. “We must respect their will,” he said.