Under South Africa’s constitution, voters do not choose a president. Instead, they elect members of the National Assembly who will then elect the next president.

If the ANC is confirmed as dropping below 50 percent for the first time since it came to power in 1994, it would be forced to seek coalition partners in order to govern.

But with the ANC still set to be the largest party, its leader Cyril Ramaphosa is likely to remain as the country’s president, although failing to secure majority could lead to unprecedented political volatility, according to Reuters news agency.

It was also reported that the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research projects ANC to have roughly 42 percent of the vote in the overall vote count.

In the previous election in 2019, the ANC won 57.5% of the vote, with 20.8% for the DA and 10.8% for the EFF, on a turnout of 66% of registered voters, which the commission has already said is likely to be higher this time.

The ANC has won national elections held every five years since the landmark 1994 election, which marked the end of apartheid and the ascent of Nelson Mandela as president.

The new parliament must convene within 14 days of final results being declared and its first act must be to elect the nation’s president.