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.
Israeli forces continue recruiting South Africans for war in Gaza: Activists
Descendants of Caribbean slaves break silence around France’s shameful past
45 dead as bus heading to Easter festival falls off cliff in South Africa
EU to expand sanctions on Iran over retaliation against Israel
'US, West must abandon double standards towards Israel's acts of terror'
April 17: ‘Axis of Resistance’ operations against Israeli occupation
UN Security Council to vote on full Palestinian UN membership on Friday
Palestinians across Gaza face 'man-made famine’: UNRWA
UK, Italy call on Israel to refrain from escalating tensions in region
VIDEO | Toronto activists block Canada-US rail line in support of Gaza
FM: Iran informed US of retaliatory strikes against Israel
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
