{"id":777389,"date":"2024-06-18T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-18T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=777389"},"modified":"2024-06-18T18:29:49","modified_gmt":"2024-06-18T16:29:49","slug":"government-of-national-unity-now-has-a-supermajority-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/government\/777389\/government-of-national-unity-now-has-a-supermajority-in-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"Government of National Unity now has a supermajority in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The African National Congress (ANC), Democratic Alliance (DA), Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), Patriotic Alliance (PA) and GOOD have thus far signed the statement of intent to form part of the Government of National Unity (GNU).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On June 17, the ANC published a statement updating the nation on the parties represented in the National Assembly (NA) who intend to form part of the co-governing agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The five parties that have signed the statement of intent make up 273 out of the 400 seats in the NA (68%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This gives the GNU a supermajority in the National Assembly, where a two-thirds majority (or 66.6%) is needed to make sweeping changes, like changing the country’s Constitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notably, the ANC would also have just been able to hit this target had it aligned with the so-called “progressive bloc”\u2014comprising the MK party and EFF, among others\u2014which would have resulted in a 265-seat government (66.3%).<\/p>\n\n\n

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Graphic: Seth Thorne<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The GNU sees a coalition of disparate political parties represented in national and provincial legislatures, with committed parties working together in both the executive and legislature (Cabinet and parliamentary positions) based on proportional representation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given that no party received an outright majority in the May 29th elections to form a government on their own, “the GNU emerged as the optimal approach to defend and advance our vision of a united, democratic, non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous South Africa,” said ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to this statement of intent, parties that want to form part of the GNU must commit to upholding various principles and work towards nine broad priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Government of National Unity: what the DA, ANC and IFP have agreed to<\/a><\/blockquote>