The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) thanked the country's citizens for playing its part in a "free, fair and peaceful elections".
"Twenty-five years after our first democratic elections we can proudly say as a nation that we remain firmly rooted in the democratic ideals we adopted in 1994 and our country remains a shining beacon of democracy and human rights for all," IEC chairperson Glen Mashinini said in a statement on Monday.
This comes after the electoral body facilitated the sixth national and provincial elections on May 8, that saw the ANC emerge victorious with over 10 million votes, giving it 230 seats in the National Assembly.
The results were officially declared on Saturday at the IEC's Tshwane results centre.
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"Once again South Africa has risen to the occasion and showed the world that our appetite for democracy is unquenchable.
"The voters of South Africa showed great maturity and respect for the democratic electoral process. It is because of their participation and commitment to free and fair elections that our democracy continues to thrive and flourish," he said.
Mashinini also praised IEC staff as well as the 200 000 volunteers who served as election officials for carrying out their duties with 'distinction and integrity'.
"The commission is enormously proud of the hard work, commitment and dedication of the officials who have worked tirelessly for over two years in preparing and delivering yet another successful election.
"South Africa owes you all a debt of gratitude," he added.
Seventy-eight parties contested the elections.
"The IEC wishes to thank those political parties, as well as state security and law enforcement for their cooperation and support in securing peaceful and orderly elections."
The commission's next task is to begin a "national process of debriefing and introspection" to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the election.
"Each election presents us with a sterner test of our people, processes and systems. We must continue to raise the bar and set new benchmarks for electoral excellence.
"Over the coming weeks and months we will take the many lessons from these elections and translate them into enhancements and improvements for the next elections scheduled for 2021," Mashinini concluded.
Find everything you need to know about the 2019 National and Provincial Government Elections at our News24 Elections site, including the latest news and detailed, interactive maps for how South Africa has voted over the past 3 elections. Make sure your News24 app is updated to access all our elections coverage in one place.
