South Africa polls at a glance

JOHANNESBURG – Some 20,6 million South African voters go to the polls next week on Wednesday in the country’s third elections since the end of apartheid, to elect representatives to the national parliament.

There are also elections to the legislature’s of South Africa’s nine provinces. Here are some facts about the April 14 elections: Voting: Voters will cast ballots at some 17 000 voting stations around the country, from 07h00 to 21:00 .They will elect members of parliament based on party lists and not individual candidates.The minimum threshold for a party to win a seat in parliament is 1 per cent.A total of 53 observers have been accredited to monitor the polls from the 14-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC).Current makeup of the parliament: President Thabo Mbeki’s African National Congress (ANC) party holds 275 seats in the 400-member National Assembly.Trailing far behind is the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), with 46 seats, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) with 34 seats and the New National Party (NNP), with 20 seats.The NNP is the successor to the National Party, for decades the backbone of the apartheid regime.A total of 21 parties are vying for seats in the National Assembly while 33 are running for representation in the provincial parliaments.Election of the president: The president is to be elected by the new parliament on April 23.Mbeki is expected to win a second mandate as his ANC party is poised to win a strong majority of seats.The presidential inauguration is scheduled for April 27.- Nampa-AFPHere are some facts about the April 14 elections: Voting: Voters will cast ballots at some 17 000 voting stations around the country, from 07h00 to 21:00 .They will elect members of parliament based on party lists and not individual candidates.The minimum threshold for a party to win a seat in parliament is 1 per cent.A total of 53 observers have been accredited to monitor the polls from the 14-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC).Current makeup of the parliament: President Thabo Mbeki’s African National Congress (ANC) party holds 275 seats in the 400-member National Assembly.Trailing far behind is the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), with 46 seats, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) with 34 seats and the New National Party (NNP), with 20 seats.The NNP is the successor to the National Party, for decades the backbone of the apartheid regime.A total of 21 parties are vying for seats in the National Assembly while 33 are running for representation in the provincial parliaments.Election of the president: The president is to be elected by the new parliament on April 23.Mbeki is expected to win a second mandate as his ANC party is poised to win a strong majority of seats.The presidential inauguration is scheduled for April 27.- Nampa-AFP