With more than 97 percent of votes counted, results show the ruling ANC will lose its majority and be forced to seek coalition partners.

With more than 97 percent of the ballots counted, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) is leading with just over 40 percent share of the national vote, three days after the country voted in national elections that could throw up the biggest challenge to the ANC’s political dominance since the end of apartheid in South Africa.

The Democratic Alliance (DA), the country’s principal opposition party, is currently in second place followed by the MK party and EFF.

Here is how the top four parties are doing, according to the latest updates from the Electoral Commission, known as the IEC.

Results by province

The ANC is currently ahead in seven out of South Africa’s nine provinces. It is at more than 50 percent in vote counts in five of those: Limpopo (74 percent), the Eastern Cape (64 percent), North West (59 percent), Free State (53 percent) and Mpumalanga (52 percent). In the Northern Cape (49 percent) and Gauteng (36 percent) the ANC currently leads with a plurality of the votes, but might need coalition partners to form governments.

The opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) is on track to continue to govern the Western Cape (53 percent), which it has done since 2009.

And in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), former President Jacob Zuma’s MK party has the highest number of votes at some 46 percent ahead of the ANC with only about 18 percent.

What if no party receives a majority?

If the ANC does not receive more than 50 percent of the vote, it will need to make a deal with other parties to form a coalition government. The choice of coalition partner will depend on the support needed to cross the 50 percent mark.

Which are the main parties in the race?

Four of the biggest players to watch out for in this year’s elections are the ANC, the DA, uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).

Previous election results

The ANC has won all national elections since the end of apartheid in 1994 when Nelson Mandela became the country’s first Black president.

In 1994, the ANC won 62.5 percent of the vote. In 1999, it won 66.4 percent. In 2004, it reached its highest levels, clinching almost 70 percent of the vote. In 2009, it won nearly 66 percent, and in 2014, it won 62 percent.

In the last election in 2019, the ANC achieved its lowest margin of victory, winning 57.5 percent of the vote.

The DA has come second in the past five elections.

Parties in current National Assembly

The lower house of parliament is currently represented by 400 members of 14 political parties, allocated proportionally based on the votes each party received in the 2019 elections.

• ANC: 230 seats (57.5 percent)
• DA: 84 seats (21 percent)
• EFF: 44 seats (11 percent)
• Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP): 14 seats (3.5 percent)

Ten other parties make up the remaining 28 seats.

How is the president elected?

South Africans do not directly vote for the president.

Instead, they elect the members of the National Assembly, who then elect the president by a simple majority – 201 or more votes determine the presidency.

If the ANC secures the majority, President Cyril Ramaphosa, 71, is likely to be re-elected as president to serve his second and final five-year term.

When will the final results be announced?

In the last national election held on May 8, 2019, the final results were announced three days later.

However, this year, with one more ballot to count, verifying results may take longer.

The IEC says it will announce the election results on Sunday.