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South Africa: Opposition leading debate in parliament to call for early elections
South Africa’s parliament will next week debate a proposal for early national elections tabled by the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), the party said on Thursday.
The DA is trying to force President Jacob Zuma from office before the next scheduled election in 2019.
Zuma is expected to step down as president of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) in December while his term as president runs up to the next election.
He has been in office since 2009, surviving a series of no-confidence votes called in response to a record in office marred by allegations of sleaze and influence-peddling.
At the last vote on August 8, about 30 ANC lawmakers broke ranks and voted with the opposition, emboldening the DA to push for early elections.
But the ANC retains an overwhelming majority in parliament, and smaller opposition parties said they would not support the DA’s motion, which will be debated on September 5.
South Africa’s economy slipped into recession earlier this year, hampering efforts to bring down a stubbornly high unemployment rate.
Source: Reuters