By Hassan Isilow
JOHANNESBURG
More than 25 million South Africans are eligible to vote on Wednesday to elect the 400-member National Assembly and nine provincial parliaments.
The new parliament will elect a new president.
Eligible voters:
There are 25.36 million registered voters in South Africa, including 13.9 million females and 11.4 males.
Voter turnout in last election:
Around 77.3 percent of the electorate voted in the country's 2009 polls.
Electoral system:
South Africa employs a proportional representation electoral system in which parties are represented in the National Assembly and in provincial parliaments in direct proportion to their electoral support.
The National Assembly:
The National Assembly has 400 members, half of them elected from the national list and half from among the nine provincial lists.
Provincial parliaments:
South Africa has nine provinces, each of which has a unicameral legislature.
The size of these regional assemblies varies from 30 to 80 members, depending on the population of the province.
National Council of Provinces:
The National Council of Provinces, the second chamber of parliament, has 90 members who are not elected through a popular vote.
Each of the country's nine provinces has ten delegates in the council, which was established in 1997.
Each province has six permanent delegates (appointed by the provincial parliament) and four special delegates, including the provincial premier and three rotating provincial MPs.
Main parties:
Twenty-nine political parties will be vying for seats in the upcoming general elections.
The race will likely be dominated by the ruling African National Congress (ANC), the Democratic Alliance (DA), the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), the Congress of the People (COPE) and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).
- The ANC, which has governed South Africa since the end of apartheid in 1994, currently controls 264 of the National Assembly's 400 seats. It is led by President Jacob Zuma.
- The DA, the country's main opposition party, currently holds 67 seats in parliament. It is led by Helen Zille, premier of the Western Cape and a member of that province's parliament.
- As for the EFF, while the party currently lacks any parliamentary representation (it was only launched in 2003), many analysts expect it to come in at third place in the upcoming polls. The party is led by Julius Malema, a former ANC Youth League leader.
- The COPE, meanwhile, founded in 2008 by breakaway ANC members, currently holds 30 seats in the National Assembly. It is led by Mosiuoa Lekota.
- The IFP, for its part, which enjoys considerable support in the coastal KwaZulu Natal province, currently controls 18 seats in the federal parliament. It is led by Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi.
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