With the majority of votes cast in South Africa’s last general election counted, the African National Congress (ANC) is ahead in what presages a clear victory for that party.

With 62.4 percent of the votes counted, the ANC has 41.9 percent of the electorate’s favour.

According to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), 58.5 percent of registered voters participated in South Africa’s seventh democratic national and provincial elections.

Reports from the IEC, as well as multiple international observers, indicate that the elections were conducted without any significant incidents.

In a rather distant second place is the conservative Democratic Alliance (DA) with 22.9 percent of the vote, although at the provincial level the southern Western Cape appears to have won again with

52.7 percent.

One of the main developments in this year’s results is the establishment of the new uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party, which, with 44 percent of the votes registered so far, won the south-eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal, ahead of the ANC, which has only managed around 19 percent.

At the national level, MK is now the third largest political party in the country in terms of popular support, with 11.8 percent of the vote.

On the other hand, despite overly optimistic rhetoric, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), with a provisional 9.5 percent, was relegated to fourth place as a national political force.

If the current percentages are maintained, which is quite likely, the ANC will have to form an alliance with other political forces to form a majority in parliament in order to form a future government.

In their national elections, South Africans do not vote for the future president; their direct and secret ballot is to choose the party composition of the National Assembly.

In turn, these newly elected legislators, grouped into caucuses by proportional representation according to the results of this week’s elections, elect the new head of state within 30 days of the polls.