First results in South Africa’s election suggest it is heading for biggest political shift since apartheid | CNN

The early results declared in South Africa’s election suggest the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party could lose its majority for the first time in 30 years. With results in from 13% of polling stations at 10 a.m. local time, support for the ANC stood at 42.5%.

The official opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), had 26% of the vote, while the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) – a splinter party of the ANC – had 8.4%, data from the country’s electoral commission showed.

The respected research group CSIR modeled the ANC winning less than 45% of the national poll as of mid-morning on Thursday.

Officials of the Independent Electoral Commission have stressed that the official tally could take several days and some larger voting wards could take more time to be tallied.

In past elections, results from rural areas – where the ANC has major strongholds – have come in later, boosting results for the party.