South Africa 2019 Elections: Voting Done yesterday, Today is all about Counting and the Game of Numbers

SOUTH AFRICA - In Brief 09 May 2019 by Iraj Abedian

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South Africa's 6th democratic national elections went relatively smoothly yesterday. Months and months of tense, vigorous and emotional electioneering ended yesterday with 24.75 million eligible voters registered, 9.2 million eligible voters who did not register, 48 political parties battled for the citizens' votes at 23000 voting stations. With the exception of some glitches at 15 voting stations, where there were reported delays or administrative mishaps, the elections were conducted largely peacefully. There does not seem to be any major outburst of concerns and accusations from the contesting parties. The final results are expected on Saturday; that is required by the electoral law within 72 hours of the completion of the elections. Now, it is all about numbers, counting, auditing and reporting after each voting station electoral team signs off on the results before reporting to the nation. At the time of writing less than 25% of votes are counted, and the results are trickling in. Although too early to be sure, so far there are no surprises; i.e.: the ANC is heading for an outright majority at the national level albeit with a reduced majority. The DA and EFF are likewise on track; with DA tracking a potential marginal loss and EFF with substantial gains, mostly eating into the ANC voter base. However, this year’s elections were significant not only for the national results, but also with regard to the provincial outcomes. The most contested province was Gauteng, the top three parties, i.e.: ANC, DA and EFF spent a disproportional sum on electioneering in Gauteng, and as of now it is too early to call the results. Gauteng is the economic hub of the country; it is i...