The African National Congress (ANC) has said that President Cyril Ramaphosa remains its presidential candidate, and that the ruling party will not agree to demands that he steps down during coalition talks.
ANC, which polled slightly over 40% in the May 29 elections, will be forced to share power for the first time ever after failing to get a parliamentary majority in the recent poll.
The main opposition party the Democratic Alliance (DA) got 21.8% of the vote, followed by former President Jacob Zuma's party uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) at 14.6%.
The Economic Freedom Fighters party (EFF) polled fourth with 9.4% of the vote.
'Accepts' outcome
Addressing journalists on Sunday, ANC's Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula said the party "accepts the results and congratulates the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC)."
"We are talking to everybody (in our bid to form a coalition government), there is no party we are not talking to," Mbalula said, adding that ANC's national executive committee will meet on Tuesday, June 4 to chart a way forward.
"If you come to us with the demand that Ramaphosa must step down (for ANC to enter a coalition agreement with your party), that is not going to happen," Mbalula said ahead of the official announcement of results on Sunday.
The ANC secretary-general added that they had "reservations" about Zuma's MK party, but they would "talk to them" nonetheless.
'Clear message'
Zuma is a former long-serving member of ANC, who fell out with the party ahead of his resignation as president following a corruption probe in 2018.
Mbalula said that ANC "will move with speed" to form government, vowing to strengthen the party that has lost popularity, especially in recent times.
He expressed fears that ANC would be "gone" if nothing is urgently done to boost its approval rating.
"The results send a clear message to the ANC. We wish to assure the people of South Africa, we have heard them. We have heard their complaints and dissatisfaction," he said.
ANC has been accused of failing to address South Africans' grievances, including unemployment, class inequality, power cuts, crime, and corruption.
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