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| South Africa election: ANC ahead as votes counted | |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| South Africa's governing African National Congress (ANC) has taken an early lead in the general election, partial results show. | South Africa's governing African National Congress (ANC) has taken an early lead in the general election, partial results show. |
| With nearly 50% of votes counted, the ANC had 62% of the vote followed by the Democratic Alliance at 24%. | |
| The ANC is widely expected to return to power although analysts say anything less than 60% of the vote for the party will be seen as a major upset. | The ANC is widely expected to return to power although analysts say anything less than 60% of the vote for the party will be seen as a major upset. |
| The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party was in third place with 5%. | |
| The electoral commission said voting passed off peacefully in most areas, with turnout at just over 72%. | |
| The elections are the first since the death in December of Nelson Mandela - the country's first black president - and mark 20 years since the end of white-minority rule. | The elections are the first since the death in December of Nelson Mandela - the country's first black president - and mark 20 years since the end of white-minority rule. |
| Dissatisfaction with the government has been growing over high levels of unemployment, a lack of basic services and allegations of widespread corruption. | |
| The two opposition parties are doing well so far, says the BBC's Pumza Fihlani. | |
| The newly formed EFF, led by the left-wing firebrand Julius Malema, has surprised many by securing 14 parliamentary seats, she says. | |
| The DA has increased its share of the vote from 17% in the last election to 24%, partial results show. | |
| Early on Thursday, DA leader Helen Zille told AFP news agency that she expected her party's final vote to be around the 23% margin. | |
| "We'll see how it goes. Of course, we hope it will be more. We did as much as we could," she is quoted as saying. | |
| The DA has been trying to make inroads into the black electorate - its support is mainly concentrated in the Western Cape which has a large white and mixed-race population. | |
| Those born after the end of apartheid in 1994 were able to cast their ballots for the first time, although only a third of those entitled to do so had registered to vote. | Those born after the end of apartheid in 1994 were able to cast their ballots for the first time, although only a third of those entitled to do so had registered to vote. |
| An ANC victory would return President Jacob Zuma for a second five-year term. He was dogged by allegations of corruption in the build-up to the election after an independent inquiry found he had "unduly benefited" from an expensive government-funded upgrade to his private residence. | |
| Speaking as he cast his vote on Wednesday, Mr Zuma said he thought "the results will be very good", but added that the campaign had been "very challenging". | Speaking as he cast his vote on Wednesday, Mr Zuma said he thought "the results will be very good", but added that the campaign had been "very challenging". |
| In the last election in 2009, the ANC saw a slight drop in support, polling 66% of the vote. | |