Politics Ledger · Sub-Saharan Africa
South Africa
Electoral democracyParliamentary republicUnitary
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South Africa parliamentary seats — snapshot dated Elected 29 May 2024 (2y 5mo ago). Curated data may lag the live series. View data sources.
In charge
Cyril Ramaphosa
President
Time in power
8.7 yrs
since 2018
Government seats
72%
majority
Next national vote
2026-11
Local government
Governance score
68/100
composite of five indices
South Africa's modern politics is defined by the struggle against apartheid and the negotiated 1994 transition. Three decades of ANC dominance ended in 2024 amid corruption, unemployment and power cuts, opening an era of coalition government.
Leadership
Who Governs South Africa
Head of state
Holds executive powerCyril Ramaphosa
President · African National Congress
Since 15 February 2018 · 8.7 years
Age 74 (born 1952)ManRoute to power: elected by parliament
Ruling coalition
Government of National Unity: ten parties including the ANC, DA, IFP, PA and FF+
Main opposition
uMkhonto weSizwe (MK, Jacob Zuma) and the Economic Freedom Fighters
Last national election
29 May 2024
General
ANC lost its majority for the first time (40.2%), leading to the GNU with the DA.
Next national election
4 November 2026
Local government
The ANC succession race for December 2027 has begun.
Parliament
National Assembly
Seat distribution (Elected 29 May 2024), ordered from economic left to right.
| Party | Ideology | Seats | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| African National Congress (ANC) | Social democracy, African nationalism | 159 | governing |
| Democratic Alliance (DA) | Liberalism | 87 | coalition |
| uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) | Zuma populism, Radical economic transformation | 58 | opposition |
| Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) | Revolutionary socialism | 39 | opposition |
| Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) | Zulu traditionalism, Conservatism | 17 | coalition |
| Smaller GNU parties (UDM, Al Jama-ah, PAC, GOOD, RISE) (GNU) | Various | 10 | coalition |
| Patriotic Alliance (PA) | Populism | 9 | coalition |
| Others (ACDP, ATM, BOSA, UAT, NCC) (OTH) | Various | 9 | opposition |
| Freedom Front Plus (FF+) | Afrikaner nationalism | 6 | coalition |
| ActionSA (ASA) | Centre-right populism | 6 | opposition |
Ideology
Party Landscape
Each party placed on economic and social axes, sized by seats.
Institutions
The System
- Official name
- Republic of South Africa
- Capital
- Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative), Bloemfontein (judicial)
- Population
- 63 million
- Statehood
- Union 1910; republic 1961; democratic Constitution 1996
- System
- Parliamentary republic
- Structure
- Unitary
- Current constitution
- 1996
- Legislature
- Parliament
- Lower / sole chamber
- National Assembly (400 seats)
- Upper chamber
- National Council of Provinces (90)
- Electoral system
- Closed-list proportional representation with no threshold.
- Term limits
- President (elected by the National Assembly): two five-year terms.
Sources
- Parliament of South Africa
- IEC
- EIU Democracy Index 2024; Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2025; RSF World Press Freedom Index 2025; Transparency International CPI 2024; IPU Parline, 2026; V-Dem v15 Liberal Democracy Index (approximate five-year readings)
Last verified 2026-10-29. Party placements are editorial estimates.
Data as of 2026-10-29.