Parties mull coalition considerations as final election results edge closer

JOHANNESBURG - Some political parties are starting to come to grips with a coalition government after the elections as the African National Congress (ANC) continues to lose its grip.

Early election results show the ANC battling to secure an outright majority in what was already tipped to be their toughest polls since 1994.

And at the National Results Operations Centre, it appears that a new reality is starting to take shape.

With over 80% of the voting districts tallied and more than 10 million valid votes locked and loaded, the ANC is about 41% of the national vote.

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While some parties have dismissed altogether the idea of coalitions, others have taken a more pragmatic approach, such as the African Christian Democratic Party’s (ACDP) Steve Swart.

“We’re part of the Multi-Party Charter, but after the final results, I think some hard talking is going to have to take place.”

The Democratic Alliance (DA), which is also part of the Multi-Party Charter, has not dismissed possible talks with the ANC.

“It’s still too premature to answer that question; I think we need to see the final results. Our first priority is to meet with the Multi-Party Charter… If it's not possible to form something either at provinces or national level, then we will have to look a bit further.”

Many other parties are also playing their cards close to their chests.