Image courtesy of Steve Conover's Flickr account - South Africa: https://www.flickr.com/photos/steveconover/848926240/in/photolist-2i1Ycj-7Sk2Ad-UZv8MN-iaB72J-pkCozD-6hdL8D-pkCq4a-7ZYVud-8i3azu-8fkwro-b73DsT-ecJw5f-bXices-8d3nKB-pC7uxS-b73D3i-igNgfg-9AgxuT-77AVxD-njXHLK-8hZgK6-4FHzzu-B937Z-5LwNLB-82aTKC-bTaUut-6AwopQ-8d1m4h-hULKbq-5QdshD-ddJrGd-7MWFV7-bEg7x7-b8AA22-8i2QqL-b73CWM-8i2JE5-8hYNvv-8hYcHX-8i31xN-8i2z4N-8i2uhw-8hYnXn-89HPtS-8hYmW8-4FDs4x-bXic9S-89Fhn4-89FinH-89JxFd
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It seems like elections are happening everywhere this year, and almost all at once. Granted, most countries do not have the extremely long - to say nothing of excessive and tedious - elections cycles that we have grown used to here in the United States.
Still, the French elections have been making news recently, and I have posted a couple of blog entries on them. Also, Great Britain is in the middle of elections, and it appears that a change in leadership is about to happen there, as the Conservatives appear on their way to losing control to the Labour Party.
Well, there were elections recently in South Africa, as well. And these elections, like those in the United States, in France, and in Great Britain, are revealing that there is growing fatigue and impatience with the leaders, and the party, in power.
Since the end of apartheid, the African National Congress (ANC) has won every major election, and effectively completely controlled government in South Africa. But that has now changed. For the first time, the ANC failed to win an outright majority, which means that also for the first time, they have to work with other parties to form a coalition government. Not something that the ANC has had much practice with in the past.
However, this did not just happen. The ANC has ruled since apartheid ended, but many are unhappy with the pace of the changes which they promised and, at least to some extent, instituted. There is a sense that while improvements have been made, they have been made too slowly and/or not completely. Also, there has been evidence of rampant corruption at the highest levels of government in South Africa, not unlike here in the United States. Also similar to the United States, there is a sense felt by many that the borders are not as secure as they should be, and that crime is running rampant.
So this could mark the beginning of the end of the traditional dominance by the ANC in South Africa's politics.
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