South Africa Election: BBC

South African voters headed to the polls. The governing African National Congress leads with about half the votes counted. “Analysts say that if the ANC vote remains above 55%, it will enable President Ramaphosa to strengthen his grip on the party,” reports BBC News. “Votes are cast for parties, with seats in the 400-member National Assembly allocated according to the share of the vote gained by each party.” Members then select the president, and ANC now controls eight of nine provinces. Cyril Ramaphosa, in office since December 2017, after his predecessor was accused of corruption. Ramaphosa acknowledged and apologized for the corruption. Turnout was about 65 percent, down from 73 percent five years ago, BBC reports, adding that about 6 million young adults did not register. Apartheid and white minority-rule ended in 1994. Election issues included corruption, violent crime, poor delivery of basic services and land reform. Blacks represent about 80 percent of the population and own 4 percent of the land. South Africa is Africa’s fifth most populous nation, and its economy ranks second in nominal terms and third in purchasing power parity, with unemployment at 27 percent. – YaleGlobal