Pretoria -The ruling African National Congress has won the 2009 General Elections by a comfortable margin over opposition parties.
However, the ANC has failed to clinch a two thirds majority.
ANC received a 65.90 percent win of the 17,680,729 valid votes cast. It received the support of 11,650,748 voters, 65.90 percent of the votes.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) official opposition party received a 16.66 percent of votes with 2,945,829 South Africans backing the party.
Newcomer Congress of the People received 7.42 percent with 1,311,027 votes.
The ANC has clinched 264 seats in the Nationally Assembly, the DA 67, Cope 30, IFP 18, PAC 1, UCDP 1, UDM 2, ID 4 and MF got 1 seat.
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has put the final voter turn out at 77.3 percent, one the highest voter turn out in the world.
Speaking at the IEC Results Operation Centre (ROC), IEC Chairperson Brigalia Bam congratulated the South African public and the political parties for the political tolerance displayed and for a peaceful elections.
She said this attested to the political maturity of the country's democracy.
International observers overseeing the elections have unanimously declared the elections free and fair.
Dr Bam said: "All the parties are winners today, but democracy in the country is the ultimate winner."
