S.Africa ANC leadership vote delayed after disputes
Johannesburg, (MILLAT ONLINE):Thousands of delegates from South Africa’s ruling ANC party will vote Monday to choose their next leader after repeated delays to a ballot seen as a decisive moment in the country’s post-apartheid history.
As rival supporters sang and chanted in the conference hall outside Johannesburg on Sunday, the vote was finally pushed back after disputes over which delegates were qualified to vote.
The only two runners in the tight race are Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, a wealthy businessman, and former minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who is President Jacob Zuma’s ex-wife.
With public support for the ANC falling, the party which has ruled since 1994 when Nelson Mandela won the first multi-racial vote, could struggle to retain its grip on power in the 2019 general election.
“Voting is only happening tomorrow,” the ANC said in a message late on Sunday evening.
The secret ballot by more than 4,700 delegates may lead to multiple challenges and recounts.
Zuma, whose reign has been marred by graft scandals, will step down as ANC chief at the meeting but will remain as head of state ahead of the 2019 vote.