South Africans begin to cast ballots in general elections

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa | Xinhua | South Africans began to cast their ballots on Wednesday morning in the country’s 2024 general elections.

More than 27 million voters are expected to vote at over 23,000 voting stations across the country to elect a new National Assembly and provincial legislatures, according to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of South Africa, the country’s electoral body.

The 2024 national and provincial elections, which coincide with South Africa’s celebration of 30 years of freedom and democracy, are the seventh general elections held in the country since apartheid ended in 1994.

The IEC said the election results will be announced on Sunday. The new National Assembly will then choose the president of South Africa for the next five years.

The National Assembly consists of 400 members. A total of 200 members will be elected from national party lists, while the other 200 will be elected from provincial party lists in each of the nine provinces.

According to the IEC, 70 political parties and 11 independent candidates are taking part in this year’s elections. Independent candidates are competing in the vote for the first time, as their names appear on the ballots following an electoral law amendment.

Counting will commence at midnight on Wednesday after voting has closed, with results set to begin trickling through at 6 a.m. (0400 GMT) on Thursday. With the turnout expected to be higher due to predicted good weather across the country, counting will take several days before being finalized.

Voters visiting voting stations must bring their identity documents and will be provided with three ballots to vote: two ballots for electing the National Assembly, and a third one for electing members of the provincial legislature in each of South Africa’s nine provinces.

Although voting stations are available from 7 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) to 9 p.m. (1900 GMT) on election day, the IEC has confirmed that every voter in a queue at the voting stations by 9 p.m. (1900 GMT) will be allowed to vote and will not be turned away.