PRETORIA, May 29. /TASS/. Russian observers visited about 10 voting stations in Pretoria during general elections in South Africa, Vladimir Rogov, a member of the observation mission of Russia’s Civic Chamber, told TASS.

"We have already visited a dozen polling stations," Rogov, who also chairs the Civic Chamber’s Commission on sovereignty, patriotic projects and veteran affairs, said. According to him, the Russian observers began working at 5:00 a.m., one hour before the polls opened. At one of the stations they watched preparations and oversaw the process of sealing ballot boxes.

Elections in South Africa are going smoothly, with no reported incidents during the vote. Long lines are observed at the polling stations in large cities. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has already voted at one of the stations in the town of Soweto not far from Johannesburg. He stressed that his party, the African National Congress (ANC), stands for stability and development of South Africa’s democracy.

The main issue is whether the ANC can retain its 30-year absolute domination on South Africa’s political stage, and garner more than 50% of the vote. According to a recent public opinion poll conducted by the Social Research Foundation, the ANC has the support of 43% of people, the Democratic Alliance party, relying on the white minority - 24%, Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK, Spear of the Nation), led by former president Jacob Zuma - 13%, and Julius Malema’s far-left Economic Freedom Fighters - 10%.

The ANC’s own polling service expects the party to garner 42-58% of the vote. At the previous elections in May 2019, it got 57.5%. If the ANC cannot win a majority in the parliament’s National Assembly (lower chamber), it will have to seek a partner for a ruling coalition or form a minority government.