President Cyril Ramaphosa says the 16 million citizens, who cast their vote in the National and Provincial Elections, are proof that South Africa’s democracy is “strong and robust”.
The President was addressing the nation through his weekly newsletter on Monday.
South Africans headed to the polls last week to elect new government leadership for the seventh administration in the country’s most competitive elections since the dawn of democracy in 1994.
“This election has been declared free and fair. It took place peacefully and without serious incidents of intimidation or violence. This is a credit to the Electoral Commission, to the political parties and their leadership, and above all, to the South African people.
“By discharging this important civic duty, South Africans have done more than exercise their right to vote. They have shown that they continue to hold our democratic order and our Constitution in high regard. This successful poll shows that our democracy is strong, that it is robust and that it endures,” President Ramaphosa said.
READ | Government welcomes conclusion of elections
Constitutional order
In this year’s vote, no party won an outright majority in the National Assembly.
This, President Ramaphosa said, presents a “new phase in our democratic journey” in which “political parties will have to strive in earnest to find common ground as we work to rebuild our country”.
“Although every political party carries a mandate based on the commitments they made to the electorate, all parties share an overarching mandate to build a country that is inclusive, united and prosperous.
“This moment in our country calls for responsible leadership and constructive engagement. There can be no place for threats of violence or instability,” he said.
The President called on South Africans to fight for and protect the country’s constitutional order – South Africa’s supreme law.
“This constitutional order is anchored in the rule of law, supported by institutions for advancing democracy, such as the Independent Electoral Commission, and upheld by an independent judiciary.
“South Africans must stand firm against any attempts to undermine the constitutional order we have worked so hard to build, and for which so many struggled and sacrificed.
“Whatever challenges we may face as political events unfold, they should be dealt with in a spirit of cooperation and in accordance with the prescripts of our Constitution and the rule of law,” he said.
READ | 2024 election results a victory for democracy
The President added that all South Africans should take pride in “our own contribution towards giving meaning to the values and principles of our constitutional democracy”.
“As we work as political parties to find each other across the divide in the coming weeks and months, let us demonstrate both in our actions and our utterances that we hold the Constitution and the rule of law to be paramount. Let us remember that whatever authority, whatever power, we are entrusted with must be exercised to advance the interests of the South African people.
“Now more than ever, we need to put our differences aside and work together for the common good,” President Ramaphosa concluded. – SAnews.gov.za
