With just hours left before South Africa’s parliament meets for the first time since the ruling African National Congress (ANC) lost its majority in last month’s election, talks to form a new government continue.
The ANC said it had made a “breakthrough” in forming a national unity government but it was too early to reveal details.
Solly Malatsi, a spokesman for the main opposition Democratic Alliance, told the BBC that “main aspects” of the framework agreement had been finalized but “we are not there yet”.
One of parliament’s first duties is expected to be a secret vote on whether Cyril Ramaphosa should remain president.
Although a coalition deal has not been finalized, Ramaphosa is expected to be re-elected.
In the May 29 election, the ANC received 40% of the vote, losing its parliamentary majority for the first time in 30 years.
That means Mr Ramaphosa needs the support of other parties to stay in power.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula told reporters after a meeting of senior ANC officials on Thursday night: “We are in dialogue with the political parties, as we say now. ” He added that he could not provide further details.
He did say it would be a shift towards the political centre, as the breakaway left-wing African National Congress party has said it will not join the coalition.
He said all parties, including the pro-business Development Alliance, had agreed to form a government of national unity.
But Mr Mbalula added that the ANC and DA had yet to agree on exactly how to work together.
“If the DA gets some of what it wants, that means the death of the ANC,” he said.
The DA came in second place in the election with 22% of the vote.
DA spokesman Mr Malatsi told the BBC’s Newsday program: “There are still very critical outstanding issues that should have been completed by the end of yesterday [Thursday]. Due to the nature of the negotiations we are conducting, this is not the case.
The Zulu nationalist Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) has said it will join a national unity government. It placed fifth with 4% of the vote.
President Ramaphosa has previously accused the DA, which is mainly supported by ethnic minorities, of being “treasonous” and “reactionary”.
Any deal with the DA would not be popular with many ANC activists.
The party is an advocate of free-market economics, which is at odds with the ANC’s left-wing heritage and is seen by its critics as representing the interests of the white minority.
The ANC claimed the coalition was the Government of National Unity (GNU), but it failed to secure the third and fourth largest parties – former President Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party and Julius Malema (Julius Malema)’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) – Join it.
MK had made Ramaphosa’s resignation one of the conditions for joining the coalition government, but the ANC rejected this request.
Mr Malema said on Thursday evening that the Electronic Front refused to join the government, including the DA, saying it was part of an “imperialist agenda”.
MK and the EFF also demanded that the constitution be changed to allow for nationalization, including of white-owned land and banks.
Ramaphosa objected and said the ANC would not form a coalition with parties that wanted to change the constitution.
