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ANC Wins 2006 Elections

With Wednesday 1 March 2006 being marked as a national public holiday in order to allow voters the freedom to make their mark, the 2006 Local Elections have been the topic of discussion in South Africa for the last few weeks. Fortunately the elections were largely peaceful and the results have been counted.

Chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission Brigalia Bam has announced the 2006 Elections to be credibly, free and fair. And despite protests and a few outbursts in some areas which had to be brought under control for the safety of the public, the results are in. The final outcome shows a whopping 66% majority vote win for the ANC, with the Democratic Alliance (DA) taking only 16% of the vote.

Results show that the ANC received the majority vote in five of the six metropolitan areas while in the remaining area there was no overall majority whatsoever. Though the voter turnout was only 48%, this was much the same as it had been in the 2000 when election results where much the same. However the clear and easy victory for the ANC has not left them arrogant. South African President Thabo Mbeki has commented that past problems would not be pushed aside just because the elections had come to a close. According to him the ANC does not wish to disappoint any of the people's expectations nor betray their confidence. This will hopefully see members of the ANC working harder for the people.

Analysts have also noted that the ANC's victory is not so much a reflection of popularity of the party than it is of the opposition's lack of ability to step up and take advantage of the government's poor record.