Ramaphosa wins election as South Africa’s ANC leader
South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has been elected leader of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party in a marathon vote that raised the likelihood for the 65-year-old businessman to become the country's next head of state after incumbent President Jacob Zuma.
"We declare comrade Cyril Ramaphosa the new president of the African National Congress," an election official told party delegates in Johannesburg on Monday.
The announcement came after about 5,000 delegates cast their votes in a bitterly fought race between Ramaphosa and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, a former cabinet minister and Zuma’s ex-wife.
The ANC, which has governed South Africa since the country attained democracy 23 years ago, elected Ramaphosa with 2,440 votes to Dlamini-Zuma's 2,261.
The victory grants Ramaphosa a strong position in the 2019 presidential elections to succeed Zuma, whose reign has been plagued by corruption scandals and economic slowdown. Zuma has denied any wrongdoing.
Ramaphosa, a former trade union leader who became a businessman and is now one of the richest people in South Africa, has vowed to fight corruption and revitalize the country’s economy.
Thousands of raucous supporters of the new leader sang and chanted outside the Nasrec Expo Center, where Ramaphosa was declared winner.
South Africa to file detailed dossier with top UN court on Israeli genocide
Putin: BRICS, not the West, will drive global economic prosperity
Pentagon says completed US military withdrawal from Niger
VIDEO | Press TV's news headlines
Iranian satellites launched into space as private sector debuts in space industry
VIDEO | Iran, Azerbaijan conduct joint maritime rescue operations
VIDEO | Yemen’s Red Sea divide: Naval forces block Israeli-linked ships in strategic ‘parting of the water’
VIDEO | Southern Gaza: Israel’s facade for famine and suffering
VIDEO | IOF hampering humanitarian aid
VIDEO | Sharmahd: Justice Done
Iran repeatedly warned Israel not to test its will: FM
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
