South African ruling party picks next leader amid falling support

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South Africa's ANC says party officials barred by courts will not vote at conference.
Supporters of South Africa's African National Congress (ANC) at a stall during the party's 54th national conference in Johannesburg yesterday. Thousands of ANC delegates began electing their next leader in a vote seen as a key moment in the country's
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG

Supporters of South Africa's African National Congress (ANC) at a stall during the party's 54th national conference in Johannesburg yesterday. Thousands of ANC delegates began electing their next leader in a vote seen as a key moment in the country's post-apartheid history, with results expected today. The front runners are Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa and former minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, former wife of President Jacob Zuma. With public support for ANC falling sharply, the party which has been ruling since 1994, when Mr Nelson Mandela won the first multiracial vote, could struggle to retain its grip on power in the 2019 election.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on December 18, 2017, with the headline South African ruling party picks next leader amid falling support. Subscribe