Coalition or government of national unity? Critical reflections on the 2024 elections in South Africa

Abstract

This paper examines the 2024 general elections in South Africa which was reminiscent of the 1994 electoral ecology in terms of the high stakes. The pre- and post-election ecology of the recent elections exhibited characteristics of Key's critical elections, given the depth and intensity of involvement. With a 40.18% voter share, the African National Congress's (ANC) 30-year electoral dominance was over, thereby making a coalition government at the centre inevitable. Relying on the primary and secondary sources, the paper interrogates the electoral process that led to South Africa's first multi-party government at the centre. While the ANC terms the resultant government a Government of National Unity (GNU), the paper contends that conceptually, what materialised falls within a coalition typology scholars insightfully labelled as “contract parliamentarism,” with a dose of “confidence and supply agreement.” The contract found expression in the ‘statement of intent’ signed by the coalition partners.