Maseru, the capital of Lesotho.
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Lesotho, a constitutional monarchy, has been under domestic, regional and international pressure to change its constitution since 2012.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa officiates at the swearing in of new cabinet ministers on 4 July 2024.
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The ANC leads the unity government. If it leads South Africa back to happier times, that is most likely to benefit the ANC, rather than the DA.
White voters are the most loyal to one party among the South African electorate.
Racial identities continue to shape voter behaviour in post-apartheid South Africa.
ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa, centre, and his deputy, Paul Mashatile, right, help cut the cake at the party’s 112th anniversary celebration at Mbombela Stadium, Mpumalanga.
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The ANC leans heavily on its liberation movement brand. But this will not necessarily be a determining factor in who will sway voters later this year.
Supporters at the launch of the Jubilee Party manifesto in Nairobi, Kenya, in June 2017.
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The fluidity of the country’s short-lived coalitions is a major cause of instability in Kenya.
Presidents Hage Geingob, left, and Cyril Ramaphosa at the Union Buildings in Tshwane.
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How Swapo and the ANC respond to any further decline in electoral support will define the future of democracy in both countries.
Supporters of the opposition EFF carry a mock coffin bearing the face of the President Cyril Ramaphosa, leader of the ruling ANC.
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ANC and EFF differ on ideology and policy – an alliance between them would prove difficult to put together and made to work.
President Cyril Ramaphosa.
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It has become increasingly clear that the country needs to start thinking of life without Ramaphosa - and the ANC - in charge.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers the 2022 state of nation address to a joint sitting of Parliament. Coalitions could soon be a feature of national government.
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Stable coalitions will depend on strong democratic values being embedded among political elites.
Sam Matekane, Lesotho’s new prime minister has the daunting job of restoring public trust in politics and government.
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Unable to change the country’s vulnerability to shifts in the global and regional economy, the new prime minister Matekane has few economic levers to pull.
Mpho Phalatse, mayor of Johannesburg.
Photo: City of Johannesburg
Parties must forego ideological rigidity and compromise for the common good, says Mpho Phalatse about making coalitions work.
South African president Cyril Ramaphosa (L) is congratulated by leader of the Inkatha Freedom Party Mangosuthu Buthelezi (R) after being elected president of South Africa during the swearing in of new members of the National Assembly.
Nic Bothma
The failure of the 2021 post-election deal is a missed opportunity for the African National Congress and Inkatha to work together.
Mxolisi Kaunda mayor of eThekwini. If parties or individuals succeed in the politics and practicalities of governing a metro, the rewards are considerable.
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Metros may be a graveyard for political ambition. But if parties or individuals succeed, the rewards are considerable.
South Africans queue to vote in the 2021 local government elections in Centurion, Tshwane, Pretoria.
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The election results raise the real possibility that the ANC could be looking at another defeat in the 2024 general elections.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on the campaign trail.
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Turnout was low. But not equally so across the board. Patterns show it was not a statement by all voters – it was a message from ANC supporters.
Former Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor Athol Trollip, from the DA, third from left, and his deputy Mongameli Bobani, from the UDM, extreme right, help clean up a street in 2017.
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South Africa’s political parties would do well to learn from Ireland, where the three largest political parties negotiated a coalition treaty that stipulated mechanisms for conflict resolution.
Failure to campaign due to COVID-19 has fuelled calls to synchronise polls.
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The bigger parties which contest elections at all three levels would benefit the most – but voters might split their votes.
South African Tourism
The stalemate in Tshwane is a manifestation of coalition arrangements that serve the partisan interests of parties, to the detriment of citizens.
Lesotho’s former Prime Minister Tom Thabane, left, and his successor Moeketsi Majoro, at the latter’s swearing in ceremony at the Royal Palace in Maseru.
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Moeketsi Majoro’s installation as Prime Minister is welcome. But it does not guarantee much needed political stability in an era of complex coalition politics.
Leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters Julius Malema (C) addresses the media after local elections in 2016.
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Political mistrust is high as the country looks to the next municipal elections in 2021.