It’s possible no party will get a majority in South Africa’s election. Here’s what that would mean

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — The focus for South Africa’s national election next week is on the fate of the African National Congress party and whether it is going to lose its parliamentary majority for the first time, as many expect.

Several polls put the ANC’s support below 50% ahead of Wednesday’s vote, raising the prospect that it might not be the majority party for the first time since winning control of the government when Nelson Mandela led it to victory in the first all-race elections that ended white minority rule in 1994.