Democratic Alliance: Masters at striking coalition deals
The DA has grown consistently over the past decade, which has made it the senior partner in a number of coalition governments
In terms of the ability to assemble and manage coalition governments, the DA has a head start over its rivals. The case of Johannesburg provides a powerful example. During the 2016 municipal elections, the ANC won the most votes in Johannesburg, with 44.99%. The DA came second, with 38.40%. When the results were announced, the headline of a News24 report stated that the "ANC takes Joburg, but gets below 50%." This is a glaring contradiction in terms, and a good example of how sensationalist or sloppy reporting can misshape voter expectations. The second part of the statement — that the ANC got below 50% — completely negates the statement that it "took" Johannesburg. Even though the ANC got the most votes in the Johannesburg metro, the fact that it fell short of a simple majority meant that it could not govern the city on its own. Despite the DA being only the second-biggest party in the Johannesburg council, it ultimately assembled a DA-led minority government that took control of t...
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