Will Jacob Zuma Be Re-elected? South Africa Votes

The general elections have started as South Africans takes of the polls to determine who will be their new President or continue as president. The country marks 20 years since the end of white-minority rule and again, The African National Congress (ANC) is tipped to win, returning President Jacob Zuma for a second five-year term.

These are the first elections since the death in December of Nelson Mandela, the country's first black president.Correspondents say voting has begun smoothly with long queues and there is an air of excitement, especially amongst first-time voters.Those born after the end of apartheid in 1994 are casting their first national ballots, although only a third of those entitled to do so have registered to vote. Correspondents say police have been deployed to areas where there have been scene of violent protests and political tensions.


The main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, is expected to do better than in the 2009 election. Focusing on the need to create jobs, the Democratic Alliance has widened its appeal beyond its traditional core of white South Africans by drawing in middle-class blacks and campaigning in black townships. It is also trying to spread its geographical base beyond its stronghold in and around Cape Town in the south.

In 2009, the A.N.C. won just under two-thirds of the vote. Mr. Zuma predicted that this time his party would capture a two-thirds majority, which would grant it greater powers to govern as well as give it a badly needed mandate. Polls have predicted, however, that the party’s support will shrink by a few percentage points.

That would still keep the A.N.C. as the dominant force in the 400-seat Parliament, which elects the president. By law, Mr. Zuma is limited to two terms as president. Analysts have said, however, that if the A.N.C. gets less than 60 percent of the vote, his standing in the party and as president could be at risk.