Source: South Africa’s government of national unity is a landmark for a humbled ANC
South Africa once again has a national unity government, 30 years after a similar deal helped stabilise the transition to full democracy from a nation divided by the racist system of apartheid.
This time the ruling African National Congress (ANC) was forced to negotiate an agreement after losing its controlling majority in elections.
It marks a landmark moment for the country, with the confirmation that the ANC’s new partners include the white-led Democratic Alliance – a pairing once considered unimaginable by many in South Africa.
The main opposition DA party grew out of a union of groups which included what was left of the apartheid-era ruling National Party, and is an advocate of free-market economics at odds with the ANC’s left-wing traditions.
As of Friday afternoon, much of the detail still needs to be filled in. And it is still possible that ANC breakaway parties that have not joined the unity government could try to influence events from the outside.
But the agreement has given shape to South Africa’s political future as its new parliament gathered on Friday for the first time since last month’s historic elections.
30年前，類似的協議幫助南非從因種族隔離制度分裂的國家穩定過渡到完全民主，30年後，南非再次組成了民族團結政府。 這次，執政的非洲人國民大會（ANC）在選舉中失去控制多數後被迫談判達成協議。 這標誌著該國具有里程碑意義的時刻，確認非國大的新合作夥伴包括白人領導的民主聯盟——這种合作南非許多人曾經認為是不可想像的。 主要反對黨民主聯盟是由一個團體聯盟發展而來，其中包括種族隔離時代執政黨國家黨的殘餘勢力，它是自由市場經濟的倡導者，與非國大的左翼傳統相悖。 截至週五下午，許多細節仍有待完善。 未加入聯合政府的非國大分離黨派仍有可能試圖從外部施加影響。但隨著南非新議會自上個月歷史性選舉以來首次於週五召開，該協議已經為南非的政治未來奠定了基礎。
