South Africa's ANC will seek national unity government

Dakar, June 7 (IANS/DPA) South Africa's governing African National Congress (ANC) party has announced it will seek a national unity government after the historic loss of its absolute majority.

"We agreed to invite political parties to form a government of national unity as the best option to move our country forward," South Africa's President and ANC party leader Cyril Ramaphosa told reporters, following a meeting of the party's leadership on Thursday evening.

The ANC, the party of former anti-apartheid fighter Nelson Mandela, won 159 of the 400 seats in the parliamentary elections on May 29 and failed to secure an absolute majority for the first time in 30 years.

The proposed government of national unity would be a type of coalition government that included all parties that had won seats in the parliament during the election.

According to an ANC spokesperson, it would represent the interests of all voters.

However, some analysts are concerned that a government of national unity could struggle to maintain stability and reach agreements.

The proposed approach would help the ANC avoid partnering with just one party, like the liberal Democratic Alliance (DA).

The potential collaboration between the ANC and DA poses the risk of causing dissatisfaction among many ANC supporters.

The newly elected members of parliament must form a government and elect a president by the end of next week.