South Africa’s African National Congress (ANC) and the Democratic Alliance (DA), have reached a deal to form a government of national unity (GNU), the SABC reported on Friday.
The GNU will also include the Patriotic Alliance (PA) and Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) while the DA will get the post of deputy speaker of the National Assembly, according to the report.
According to Xinhua, citing the Sunday Times, the current South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, will be elected with the support of the DA on Friday afternoon.
The parties reportedly struck a deal shortly after 10 AM today, during the first sitting of the National Assembly.
The DA will support Ramaphosa’s election as president, with Agriculture Minister Thoko Didiza as speaker, and the ANC will support the election of a DA deputy speaker.
The DA’s deputy chief whip, Annelie Lotriet, is reportedly set to be elected deputy speaker of the National Assembly, while the ANC’s Mdumiseni Ntuli is touted as the incoming chief whip.
The first sitting of the National Assembly is being held this Friday to elect the speaker, deputy speaker and president for the next five years.
In the 29 May elections, the ANC secured 159 out of 400 seats in the National Assembly, forcing the party to seek partners to form a GNU.
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