Cyril Ramaphosa elected as South African president unopposed

South Africa’s parliament has confirmed ANC’s Cyril Ramaphosa as the duly elected president of the country, after his nomination was uncontested by other political parties.  

Ramaphosa, who is also the leader of the ANC, was expected to be retained as president by the 400 lawmakers in parliament’s National Assembly lower house, where his party holds the majority. He will be inaugurated on Saturday.

While South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa was among the first members of parliament to be sworn in on Wednesday, he issued a statement saying his deputy David Mabuza, will not be sworn in as a lawmaker having requested a postponement to address allegations he brought the ruling African National Congress (ANC) into disrepute.  

The ANC easily won South Africa’s May 8 general election but its share of the vote fell, reflecting anger at corruption scandals and racial inequalities that remain entrenched a generation after the party took power.