Politics of South Africa

Politics of South Africa
Polity typeUnitary dominant-party parliamentary republic with an executive presidency
ConstitutionConstitution of South Africa
Legislative branch
NameParliament
Meeting placeHouses of Parliament, Cape Town
Upper house
NameNational Council of Provinces
Presiding officerAmos Masondo, Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces
AppointerProvincial legislatures
Lower house
NameNational Assembly
Presiding officerNosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula[1], Speaker of the National Assembly
AppointerNational Assembly
Executive branch
Head of State and Government
TitlePresident
CurrentlyCyril Ramaphosa
AppointerNational Assembly
Cabinet
NameCabinet of South Africa
Current cabinetSecond Cabinet of Cyril Ramaphosa
LeaderPresident
Deputy leaderDeputy President
AppointerPresident
Ministries26
Judicial branch
NameJudiciary of South Africa
Constitutional Court
Chief judgeRaymond Zondo
Supreme Court of Appeal
Chief judgeXola Mpetse

The Republic of South Africa is a unitary parliamentary democratic republic. The President of South Africa serves both as head of state and as head of government. The President is elected by the National Assembly (the lower house of the South African Parliament) and must retain the confidence of the Assembly in order to remain in office. South Africans also elect provincial legislatures which govern each of the country's nine provinces.

Since the end of apartheid in 1994, the African National Congress (ANC) has dominated South Africa's politics. The ANC is the ruling party in the national legislature, as well as in eight of the nine provinces (Western Cape is governed by the Democratic Alliance). The ANC received 57.50% of the vote during the 2019 general election. It had received 62.9%[2] of the popular vote in the 2011 municipal election. The main challenger to the ANC's rule is the Democratic Alliance, led by John Steenhuisen (previously by Mmusi Maimane), which received 20.77% of the vote in the 2019 election. Other major political parties represented in Parliament include the Economic Freedom Fighters and the Inkatha Freedom Party, which mainly represents Zulu voters. The formerly dominant New National Party, which both introduced and ended apartheid through its predecessor the National Party, disbanded in 2005 to merge with the ANC. Jacob Zuma served as President of South Africa since 9 May 2009 until his resignation in February 2018. Zuma was replaced by Cyril Ramaphosa. The country's 2019 general election was held on 8 May.

The Economist Intelligence Unit rated South Africa a "flawed democracy" in 2022.[3] Some argue that South Africa represents a dysfunctional state.[4][better source needed]

  1. ^ "Axed defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula is the new National Assembly Speaker".
  2. ^ "Local Government Elections 2011" (PDF). Results Summary - All Ballots. Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
  3. ^ "Democracy Index 2022: Frontline democracy and the battle for Ukraine" (PDF). Economist Intelligence Unit. 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  4. ^ Greffrath, Wynand Neethling (2015). State dysfunction : the concept and its application to South Africa (Thesis thesis).

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