Luanda - The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, congratulated Cyril Ramaphosa on his re-election as President of South Africa.
"On behalf of the Angolan Executive and myself, I want to congratulate Your Excellency on Your reappointment to the high position of President of the Republic of South Africa", writes the statesman in a message made official today, Sunday.
He considered that Ramaphosa's election followed an exemplary electoral campaign during which the common sense of its participants prevailed, who knew how to create the ideal framework for a dynamic and successful democratic dialogue.
"I would therefore like to highlight Your Excellency's conciliatory and open-to-dialogue role, which became the fundamental and decisive factor for the continuity of the institutions of the South African State and their functioning, in a climate of harmony, stability and national concord ", expressed President João Lourenço.
He took the opportunity to reiterate the Angolan Government's desire to maintain and continually strengthen the strong bonds of friendship, solidarity and cooperation existing between the two nations and peoples.
"Please accept, Your Excellency, my best wishes for the new term that will begin soon, as well as good health and personal well-being", he concluded.
On Friday, South Africa's National Assembly (Lower House) re-elected Ramaphosa to lead the country, despite losing an absolute majority in the May 29 elections, hours after John Steenhuisen, leader of the main opposition Alliance party, Democratic Party (AD, center-right liberal), said in a message to the nation that it had reached an agreement with the President's party for a "government of national unity".
Ramaphosa's party, the historic African National Congress (ANC), won 40.20% of the vote and 159 of the 400 seats in parliament, while the PD, heir to the white political leadership that opposed apartheid, won 21.81% of the votes and 87 seats.
The ANC lost its absolute majority for the first time since the 1994 elections, when Nelson Mandela became the country's first black president and the segregationist apartheid regime (1948-1994) was abolished.
After playing an important role in the negotiations that led to the dismantling of apartheid, having been a union leader and having prospered in the private sector, Ramaphosa, 71,
he became president in 2018 with the promise of change to end the corruption that marred the mandate of his predecessor, Jacob Zuma (2009-2018). ARTART/CF/DOJ
