South Africa’s ANC: Demands for Ramaphosa to step down for coalition talks a ‘no-go’

South Africa’s African National Congress party will not consider any demands from possible coalition partners that President Cyril Ramaphosa step down, a top official says, as the ANC attempted to present a united front after a stinging election result ended its 30-year majority.

As South Africa heads for a series of complex talks to form a national coalition government for the first time and establish stability, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says Ramaphosa would remain as party leader and any demands from others that he resign for talks to go ahead were “a no-go area.”

“President Ramaphosa is the president of the ANC,” Mbalula says in the ANC leadership’s first public comments since the landmark election results. “And if you come to us with that demand that Ramaphosa is going to step down as the president, that is not going to happen.”

Mbalula says the ANC is open to talks with every other political party in an effort to form a government, but “no political party will dictate terms to us, the ANC. They will not … You come to us with that demand, forget (it).”

Mbalula concedes the ANC, which has dominated South African politics since the end of apartheid in 1994, “suffered heavily” in the election but says it was “not booted out.”

The ANC received just over 40% of votes, falling well short of the majority it has held for all of South Africa’s young democracy. It will still be the biggest party by some way. But it needs to talk with others to form a government and to reelect Ramaphosa for a second and final term. South Africa’s president is elected by Parliament after national elections.