South African vice-President Cyril Ramaphosa is new chairman of ANC government party. Their delegates chose Ramaphosa at a party congress with 2,440 votes. As a result, 65-year-old has opportunity to replace 2019 current President Jacob Zuma.

Ramaphosa sat down with a short lead against Dlamini Dlamini-Zuma. The ex-wife of Zuma received 2,261 votes.

The election result is an indicator of how divided party is. Ramaphosas followers responded to election result with loud applause, supporters of his counter-candidate with a whistle concert.

In two years, parliamentary elections will take place in South Africa. If ANC n receives a majority, Ramaphosa is likely to become president. However, this scenario is by no means certain: Although ANC received a clear majority in 2014 elections. Last year, however, he lost to opposition in local elections in major cities such as Johannesburg and Pretoria.

Ramaphosa is regarded as a business-friendly and pragmatic politician. The former union leader Ramaphasa went into politics in 1990s after end of aparid regime and became President Nelson Mandela ANC general secretary. A few years later he moved to economy and became a multi-millionaire, among or things, with investments in mining sector. He has been under Zuma Vice president since 2014.

Ramaphosa was a reformer at ANC party congress. He promised to boost economy and fight corruption.

Many ANC members are annoyed by Zuma, whose presidency is burdened by corruption scandals and accusations of misappropriation of public funds. So y voted for Ramaphosa. Zuma had advertised at party Congress for his ex-wife.

In his last speech as party leader, Zuma conceded on Saturday that South Africans were not satisfied with results of ANC rule. This concerns, among or things, rampant corruption and crime as well as high unemployment.

Date Of Update: 19 December 2017, 12:02