On May 29, South Africans will vote in the seventh election since the end of political apartheid in the early 1990s. This is the first election in which the ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), is polling below 50%. That could force the ANC into a coalition with one or more other parties to govern the country after the election.
We published interviews with political scientists whose research examines South African politics to share their insights on this pivotal election. Please bookmark this page for links to other pieces on the South African election as they are published.
- Read the piece that launched the series in which Joshua Tucker interviewed Daniel de Kadt. In it, de Kadt tells us why this election is so pivotal, the key figures and parties involved, and the complexities of South Africa’s electoral system. De Kadt is an assistant professor of quantitative research methods at the London School of Economics and Political Science and the author of many articles on South African electoral politics.
- An interview with Carolyn Holmes focused on race and campaigning, potential for electoral violence, and youth political engagement. Holmes is an assistant professor of political science at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and the author of The Black and White Rainbow: Reconciliation, Opposition, and Nation-Building in Democratic South Africa (University of Michigan Press, 2020).
- An interview with Shelley Liu focused on misinformation and disinformation in the South African elections. Liu is an assistant professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University and the author of Governing After War: Rebel Victories and Post-war Statebuilding (Oxford University Press, 2024).
- An interview with Beth Wellman discussed a key issue in this year’s election: immigration. We also talk about her research on diaspora voting. Wellman is an assistant professor of political science at the University of Memphis.