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South Africa parliament go elect president and oda tins wey go shele today

Screenshot 2024 06 14 112820.png Pahando Jikelo/Parliament of SA

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 Source: BBC

South Africa parliament for Cape Town dey meet on Friday 14 June for di first time since di 29 May general election.

Wetin go shele today be say dem go swear in di new MPs, den di speaker and deputy speaker go dey elected, den finally di MPs go elect president, who go swear in di chief judge.

For di first time in 30 years, di African National Congress (ANC) no get more dan 50% of di 400 seats for di National Assembly.

Dis mean say dem bin need to make a deal wit oda parties in order to get dia leader, Cyril Ramaphosa, elected for a second term.

Negotiations still dey go on - di ANC tok say dem don make a "breakthrough" but dem add say e dey too early to give details.

Di ANC no fit vote in di president witout di support of di second-largest party, di Democratic Alliance (DA) - or di fourth-largest party, di Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and anoda small party.

Bifor now, di ANC neva depend on di opposition as dem bin hold a commanding majority in parliament since di end of di racist system of apartheid for 1994.

Tins bin change for dem for 29 May election, wen di ANC vote collapse to 40%.

Humbled by di electorate, dem go dey forced to work wit di opposition to survive in goment.

Wia di new MPs dey meet?

Di inaugural sitting of dis parliament - di seventh since South Africa enta democracy for 1994 - dey take place for Cape Town International Convention Centre instead of di traditional parliament building.

Dis na sake of di on-going renovations afta di ogbonge damage wey fire bin cause for 2022.

Di authorities don previously use Cape Town City Hall as a stand-in chamber but dem choose di conference centre dis time in order to accommodate di 400 new MPs and dia guests.

Parliament bin budget 58m rand ($3.1m; £2.5m) for di use of di larger venue.

We neva reach agreement, ANC tok

One ANC tok-tok pesin don confirm to di BBC say dem neva reach agreements on di formation of a new goment.

Mahlengi Bhengu Motsiri tok say some outstanding issues still dey.

Party representatives still dey tok wit opposition parties, she tok, and di ANC hope say dem go reach a deal bifor di president dey elected dis afternoon.

Dem don swear in MPs

Na 400 MPs dey - but dose from ex-President Jacob Zuma uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party - di third largest in parliament - no dey present as dem dey dispute di result of di election.

EFF refuse to take part in new goment

E still dey unclear wetin di new goment go look like, but we know say di radical left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) no go dey involved.

For one press conference for Cape Town on Thursday evening, EFF leader Julius Malema tok say im party no dey against di principle of a national unity goment but dem oppose di inclusion of parties such as di Democratic Alliance and di Freedom Front Plus.

Malema tok say dis two parties dey part of an "imperialist" agenda.

Malema also tok say if uMkhonto weSizwe (MK), di party wey former president Jacob Zuma dey lead no dey in charge of di KwaZulu-Natal province, it e go be "provocation to di pipo of KwaZulu-Natal".

For last month election di MK party receive di most votes for dat province - but no be absolute majority.

Tok-tok on di kontri future dey happun behind closed doors

A live feed of parliament mean say di public fit watch as dem dey swear in dia MPs, but di real action don dey happun behind closed doors.

For days, di ANC and opposition parties don dey negotiate wetin South Africa new goment go look like.

Democratic Alliance representative Helen Zille dey "friendly" but "tough".

One ANC tok-tok pesin say dem hope to reach a deal for afternoon.

Ramaphosa dey among MPs wey dem swear in

Dem don swear in di MPs - and Cyril Ramaphosa dey among dem.

E hope say di oda MPs go elect am for a second term as president soon - at dat point e no go be MP again.

But parliament gatz first elect a speaker and deputy speaker.

Two candidates dey nominated for speaker

Di newly sworn in MPs don nominate two candidates for speaker:

Thokozile Didiza - ANC

Ntombovuyo Veronica Mente - EFF

As e get two candidates, di MPs go now vote using a secret ballot.

Whereas Didiza bin dey nominated by two members of her own party, Mente get di backing of MPs from two oda smaller parties - di African Transformation Movement and di United Democratic Movement.

Dem form part of wetin dem don call di “progressive caucus”, wey dey against di formation of di goment of national unity.



SA parliament



Julius Malema EFF na South Africa fourth biggest party



Dem don swear in di MPs - and Cyril Ramaphosa dey among dem.

Source: BBC