South Africa's ruling party ahead in first 'Born Free' election

The African National Congress (ANC) has taken an early lead in South Africa’s first “Born Free” election, partial results showed Thursday, with the ruling party garnering almost 59.2 percent of the votes with a third of the ballots counted. 

The electoral commission said the ANC, the liberation party that swept to power under the leadership of Nelson Mandela at the end of apartheid in 1994, was trailed by its closest rival the Democratic Alliance, which has so far earned 27 percent of the vote in Wednesday’s election. The commission said the turnout of registered voters was recorded at just over 70 percent.

About 25 million South Africans, or half the population, registered to vote in the fifth all-race vote in South Africa since the end of white minority rule in 1994. A new generation of South Africans – numbering around two million, with around 646,000 registered to vote – were born after the end of apartheid and cast their ballots for the first time.
The resilience of ANC support has surprised analysts who a year ago said the party could struggle at the polls as its glorious past recedes into history and voters focus instead on the sluggish economy and slew of scandals that have typified President Jacob Zuma's first term.
Earlier this year, South Africa's top anti-graft agency accused Zuma of "benefiting unduly" from a $23 million state-funded security upgrade to his private home at Nkandla in rural KwaZulu-Natal province that included a swimming pool and chicken run.
His personal approval ratings dipped after the allegations were made, but at a news conference concluding the ANC election campaign earlier this week, the 72-year-old leader brushed aside any suggestion that the accusations would impact ANC’s election run.
"I'm not worried about Nkandla," Zuma said. "The people are not worried about it. I think the people who are worried about it is you guys, the media, and the opposition."
Officials expect to declare election results no sooner than Saturday.