In brief
The ANC remains South Africa's largest political party with 30.76% of the vote in the 2026 local government elections, although this represents a decline of over 14 percentage points from the previous 2021 local elections. The Electoral Commission released the final results on Sunday, confirming the ANC's position but highlighting the sharp fall in voter support.
According to a report from Xinhua dated 2026-11-09, the African National Congress (ANC) remained South Africa’s largest political party in the local government elections held in 2026, even though its share of the vote fell sharply compared with the 2021 local elections.
The announcement came from the Electoral Commission of South Africa on Sunday, with the final results indicating that the ANC secured 30.76 percent of the votes across the country in 2026.
In 2021, the ANC received a higher percentage of votes, but the 2026 figures show a decline of more than 14 percentage points from that previous election.
The 2026 local government elections took place nationwide, with the Electoral Commission delivering the final tally to the public on Sunday in Johannesburg.
Xinhua reported that the ANC’s 30.76 percent vote share—although weakened by the 14-point drop—still allowed it to win the most seats among the parties in the local councils.
The 2026 results were published by the Electoral Commission on a Sunday, the latest in a series of official releases leading up to the announcement.
South Africa’s local elections in 2026 saw the ANC maintain its position as the country’s largest political party, as announced by Xinhua, despite a pronounced decline in support, as measured by its percent share of the vote.
In the same Xinhua report, it was noted that the ANC’s vote share fell from a higher level in the 2021 elections to the current 30.76 percent, a more than 14 percentage point loss over the five-year span between the two elections.
The Electoral Commission’s announcement of the 2026 results, published by Xinhua, confirmed that the ANC, as the incumbent party, remained the frontrunner, holding the greatest number of seats in the local councils despite the loss in voter share.
While the ANC’s relative position remains unchanged in terms of being the largest party, the significant drop in its poll numbers—declining over 14 points from the last local election—illustrates a notable shift in voter sentiment, as highlighted by Xinhua’s coverage, where it detailed the change in percentages and its implications for local governance in South Africa.
