{
  "id": 18991273,
  "title": "ANC tops 2026 local government election results as Ramaphosa warns parties ahead of coalition talks",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/08/anc-tops-2026-local-government-election-results-as-ramaphosa-warns",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-08T17:51:38.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Citizen",
    "slug": "the-citizen",
    "url": "https://www.citizen.co.za/news/anc-2026-local-government-election-ramaphosa-coalition/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The African National Congress (ANC) emerged as the dominant political party in South Africa's 2026 local government elections, securing 30% of the vote. The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) announced the results on November 8, 2026, at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Gauteng. The Democratic Alliance (DA) came in second place, with 24.64% of the vote translating to 1,695 council seats, followed by the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party with 9.76% and 785 seats. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) secured 6.22% of the vote, while ActionSA obtained 5.67%. The ANC's victories included outright control in 53 municipalities and leading positions in 128 municipalities. The DA held outright control in 12 municipalities and 32 municipalities as the leading party. The IFP secured five municipalities outright and 19 as the leading party, with the MK Party achieving the same in three municipalities and 19 municipalities. The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) also held outright control in one municipality. Nearly 15 million South Africans participated in the elections, representing 52% of the registered voter base, with a total of 5,205 political parties and 626 independent candidates competing for 10,526 council seats. President Cyril Ramaphosa urged political parties to prioritize residents' interests and cooperate during coalition negotiations, warning against power struggles and delays that could hinder governance and service delivery.",
  "summary": "Approximately 14.9 million South Africans had participated in the elections.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}