JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) said Saturday that vote counting in the country's local government elections was nearing completion, with nearly 99 percent of voting districts having reported their results.
While briefing the media on the progress of the elections, Mosotho Moepya, chairperson of the IEC, said that the commission expected to announce the final results at 6 p.m. local time (1600 GMT) on Sunday.
South Africa held its local government elections on Wednesday. According to the latest provisional results, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) was leading with 30.89 percent of the vote, followed by the Democratic Alliance (DA) with 24.60 percent.
Moepya said the commission was also addressing objections submitted by political parties and independent candidates regarding the electoral process.
The IEC has received 197 objections, of which 54 have been dismissed, eight withdrawn and two upheld. The commission has also ordered recounts in five wards, he said.
Meanwhile, ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula told a separate media briefing on Saturday that the party would seek coalition arrangements with other political parties in more than 100 hung municipal councils, where no party had secured an outright majority.
Mbalula acknowledged the need for the ANC to improve local governance, particularly in communities affected by unreliable water supplies, failing infrastructure, uncollected waste, deteriorating roads, corruption and poor municipal administration.
The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, led by former President Jacob Zuma, also announced on Saturday the formation of a team of senior officials to lead coalition negotiations with other political parties in municipalities where no single party has won a majority.
With coalition negotiations expected to shape the composition of many municipal governments, the election marked another step in South Africa's transition toward a more fragmented multiparty political landscape. ■