Mr. Raymond Zondo has confirmed that the parliament will be choosing the country’s upcoming president.

The Chief Justice of South Africa, Raymond Zondo, has confirmed that the next president of the country will be elected on Friday. This follows the announcement of the first sitting of the National Assembly, also known as the opening of parliament, which will take place on that day. The constitution mandates that this session must occur within 14 days of the election results being declared, which were announced on June 2. Thus, the assembly will meet within the prescribed period, with July 14 as the selected date.

During this initial sitting, Chief Justice Zondo will administer the oath or affirmation of allegiance to the republic and obedience to the constitution to all members of the National Assembly, as required by section 48 of the constitution. Following the swearing-in, the assembly will elect the speaker and deputy speaker, with the chief justice presiding over these elections.

Once the speaker and deputy speaker have been elected, the chief justice will resume presiding over the election of the president. This election is particularly significant as it marks the first time that the ANC’s presidential candidate is not assured of victory due to the party not having an outright majority in the National Assembly. The ANC has secured 159 seats, a decrease from the 230 seats it held previously, necessitating support from other parties for their candidate, who is expected to be the incumbent Cyril Ramaphosa, to be re-elected. The elections for speaker, deputy speaker, and president will all be conducted through a secret ballot.

On the following day, Saturday, delegates of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) will be sworn in, with Chief Justice Zondo administering the oath and overseeing the election of the NCOP chairperson. Additionally, judge-presidents in each province will determine the first sittings of the provincial legislatures within the same 14-day period following the election results. These sessions will include the swearing-in of provincial legislature members and the election of speakers and premiers.