S. African leader hit by ANC's worst poll results in 30 years

Ramaphosa may face calls to quit after a party backed by Zuma makes a big dent in support

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South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will be badly weakened after presiding over the African National Congress (ANC) party's worst election result since the end of apartheid.

Results from around 71 per cent of polling stations in the May 29 election showed the ANC's vote share at less than 42 per cent, a sharp drop from the 57.5 per cent it secured at the last election in 2019 and well short of a majority for the first time in 30 years.

The electoral blow means the former liberation movement of Nelson Mandela will have to negotiate a coalition deal, or other forms of agreement, with one or more smaller parties to govern the country. It may have to make policy concessions or cede prominent Cabinet positions.

Mr Ramaphosa, a former union leader turned businessman, will probably face calls to quit from opposition parties and critics in his deeply divided party, but a top ANC official has backed him to stay on and analysts say there is no obvious successor.

"There isn't a clear unifying candidate who could take over from Ramaphosa," said Professor Anthony Butler, a political expert at the University of Cape Town.