South Africans will head to the polls on Wednesday, May 8, in the first general elections since Jacob Zuma was ousted from his presidency. And as the nation is gearing up for a pivotal election all eyes are on whether the African National Congress (ANC) will retain its majority. Voters will elect a new National Assembly and provincial legislatures in each province and it will be the sixth elections held since the end of apartheid in 1994.

Who will win the elections in South Africa this week? The 2019 South African general elections have been billed as the most important elections since the nation transitioned into democracy in 1994. And all eyes will be on the African National Congress (ANC) as the party attempt to retain its majority in the South African National Assembly. The party, led by incumbent president Cyril Ramaphosa, has been the ruling party of post-apartheid South Africa since the election of Nelson Mandela in the 1994 election. READ MORE: South Africa election polls 2019: When is South Africa election?

Winning every election since - the ANC has pressure to continue as South Africa’s governing political party. But a recent poll, conducted by Ipsos has shown that the party’s support has dropped from around 61 percent in March to 56,9 percent in April. During the last elections in 2014, ANC won with 62,2 percent of the votes. But the ANC is not the only party seeing declining support from voters.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) are down from 18 percent in March to 15 percent in April. During the 2014 elections, the DA received 22 percent of the vote. The support for the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is also slightly down, with 9,5 percent of the vote compared to 10 percent in March. However, the result is significantly up from the 6.4 percent the EFF scored during the last elections. </s> Voters across South Africa will head to the polls today in an election which will test the ruling party’s mandate to fix the country’s deep-rooted issues. Residents voting today will consider the levels of corruption which have permeated the country’s political landscape for years under the now-ousted President Jacob Zuma. With a whopping 26.76 million registered voters having their say on a record 48 parties in the ballot, it will be an interesting day in South Africa.

These national and provincial elections are important for South Africa for a number of reasons. The South Africa election today is the first since former president Jacob Zuma resigned, leaving acting president Cyril Ramaphosa to prove he could manage the mess left behind and restore the African National Congress to its former glory. The African National Congress (ANC), which led the fight against apartheid, has governed the country since 1994. But support for the ANC has eroded as large inequalities have remained. The centrist Democratic Alliance (DA) and left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) are providing the main challenges. A massive number of South Africans have registered to vote, but six million young people failed to register to vote - a concerning trend for the ruling party that needs to reconnect and engage with younger voters to survive.

South Africans will vote today, which is a public holiday in the country. Polling stations were opened at 7am and will close at 9pm local time. (6am to 8am BST). All voters who are in the queue by 9pm will be allowed to vote.

When can we expect a result? Results usually take two to three days to emerge - more often it is three - so a result is expected by Saturday, May 11. Votes from abroad and most special votes have already been cast, but the rest of the country will head to the ballot boxes today. How do these elections work? The general election in South Africa involves two votes: one national and one provincial. The national government vote is for the body that will make and carry out laws and policies across the whole country. This is made up of parliament and is led by the president of the country and ministers.

The provincial government vote is for the body that makes and carries out laws and policies that only impact the province. South Africa is made up of nine provinces and the provincial government devise legislature concerning these areas. The provincial government is led by a premier and members of the executive council, called MECs. The voting system in South Africa is one of proportional representation, so voters do not choose an individual candidate at the polls but instead vote for a party as a whole.

This means political parties get a share of seats in parliament in direct proportion to the number of votes received in the election. Each party then decides on members to fill the seats it has won. The president is the leader of the party which wins a majority in the national vote. </s> It is D-day in South Africa and polls have opened in what is the country’s sixth general elections since returning to democracy from apartheid 25 years ago.

So, what are the stakes here in this election? President Cyril Ramaphosa is battling it out with Julius Malema from the Economic Freedom Fighters, and Mmusi Maimane from Democratic Alliance, the two main opposition parties in the country.

The elections, will determine the next president of the second largest economy in Africa and will elect a new National Assembly and provincial legislatures.

Now the fact of the matter is that special voting actually had begun since Monday in what was designed to allow for people who might be unable to do so today. Our Journalist Daniel Mumbere is in Pretoria for us and has been monitoring the situation with voting there. </s> PESHAWAR: Up to 2,662,550 registered voters in the erstwhile Fata would exercise their right to vote for the first time in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly election scheduled for July 2.

According to the elections schedule, polling would be held for 16 provincial assembly seats in the merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A total of 1,943 polling stations have been established for the upcoming polls. Under the 25th constitutional amendment, the tribal areas were merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on May 31, 2018. The people of the merged districts would for the first time get representation in the provincial assembly. They already have 20 seats in the parliament, including 12 in the National Assembly and eight in the Senate. As per population, the former tribal agencies and semi-tribal areas have been divided into 16 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly constituencies. Bajaur and Khyber districts will have three provincial assembly constituencies each while Mohmand, Kurram, South Waziristan and North Waziristan districts would have two provincial assembly seats each. Orakzai and the former Frontier Regions (FRs) would have one each provincial assembly seat. Four seats have been reserved for women while one seat for the members of the minorities residing in the tribal districts. It is the first time that women and the minorities would be represented in any democratic institution. According to the information provided by ECP, a total of 15,99,384 male registered voters and 10,63,166 female voters have been registered in the merged districts. Bajaur has the highest number of voters (522,480), followed by Khyber district with 490,030 registered voters.

Out of the total 1,943 polling stations, 497 polling stations have been established for male voters and 390 for women. The joint polling stations tally is 1,056. Bajaur has been divided into three provincial assembly constituencies. It already has two NA seats. Khyber also has three provincial assembly seats and two in the NA. About 271,251 registered voters in Mohmand district would elect two MPAs in the KP Assembly. As many as 352,794 registered voters in the Kurram district would cast their votes for two provincial assembly seats. </s> PESHAWAR: Up to 2,662,550 registered voters in the erstwhile Fata would exercise their right to vote for the first time in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly election scheduled for July 2.

According to the elections schedule, polling would be held for 16 provincial assembly seats in the merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A total of 1,943 polling stations have been established for the upcoming polls. Under the 25th constitutional amendment, the tribal areas were merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on May 31, 2018. The people of the merged districts would for the first time get representation in the provincial assembly. They already have 20 seats in the parliament, including 12 in the National Assembly and eight in the Senate. As per population, the former tribal agencies and semi-tribal areas have been divided into 16 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly constituencies. Bajaur and Khyber districts will have three provincial assembly constituencies each while Mohmand, Kurram, South Waziristan and North Waziristan districts would have two provincial assembly seats each.

Orakzai and the former Frontier Regions (FRs) would have one each provincial assembly seat. Four seats have been reserved for women while one seat for the members of the minorities residing in the tribal districts. It is the first time that women and the minorities would be represented in any democratic institution. According to the information provided by ECP, a total of 15,99,384 male registered voters and 10,63,166 female voters have been registered in the merged districts. </s> May 8 (Reuters) - South Africa's African National Congress faces its toughest electoral test on Wednesday, seeking to reverse a slide in support from voters frustrated by rampant graft and racial inequalities a generation after it won power in the country's first all-race poll.

Voting in parliamentary and provincial elections begins at 7 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) and polling stations will close at 9 p.m..

LATEST HEADLINES > S.Africa's ANC seeks to reverse sliding support in tough election > ANC vows to act on corruption; EFF promises radical reforms

ANALYSIS, FEATURES > South Africa's Ramaphosa faces obstacles to reform > BREAKINGVIEWS-South African reforms need gentle voter kicking > As elections loom, South Africans call for faster land reform > Frustration over racial disparities builds as poll nears > Squalid conditions fuel frustration in South African township > Will young voters have their say in South Africa's election? > S.Africa faces unrest if ANC doesn't reform -opposition > ANC vows to punish corrupt officials as national vote nears > Main opposition party promises to lead coalitions, tackle racism > Anger at corruption dents faith in president, ANC before poll > ANC elders criticise "tainted" officials on election list

FACTBOXES, POLLS, RELATED STORIES > Key issues in South Africa's May 8 election > The main political parties in South Africa's election > What has changed in South Africa since white rule ended? > Support for South Africa's ANC at 51-61 percent, opinion polls </s> ISLAMABAD, Jul 25 (APP):The polling for general election 2018 started on Wednesday throughout the country to elect candidates for National and provincial assemblies.

 The polling which was started at 8:00am will continue without any break till 6:pm. The

 Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has completed all arrangements to hold free, fair and transparent elections.

 Total 105,955,409 registered voters will cast their vote that included 59,224,263 male and

 46,731,146 female voters.

 The ECP has established total 85,058 polling stations and 244,687 polling booths throughout the country. A total of 819,119 polling staff have been deputed.

 Total 11,673 candidates are contesting elections out of which 3,428 are for National

 Assembly while 8,245 are for provincial assemblies. For National Assembly 1,805

 candidates are contesting election from different political parties while 1,623 are independent candidates.

 Similarly, for provincial assemblies, as many as 3,856 candidates are contesting from political parties while 4,389 independent candidates are also contesting. For reserved seats 44 candidates are contesting election for National Assembly while 113 for provincial assemblies for Non-Muslim reserved seats.

 As many as 172 candidates for National Assembly and 386 candidates for provincial assembly will contest for provincial assemblies on seats reserved for Women. </s> The Latest: Khan votes, hoping to become Pakistan's next PM

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Latest on Pakistan's elections (all times local):

Pakistan's opposition leader Imran Khan, who aspires to be the country's next prime minister, has cast his ballot near his suburban home in the capital, Islamabad.

Khan voted as elections got underway in Pakistan where the nation is electing a new National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, and four provincial assemblies on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, an explosion outside a crowded polling station in the southwestern city of Quetta killed 25 people and wounded 40.

Another prominent candidate in the elections — late Prime minister Benazir Bhutto's son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari — also cast his vote, in his native town of Larkana.

Khan, who heads Tehrik-e-Insaf, or Justice Party, is likely to do well in the elections. He arrived at the polling station to warm greetings from supporters who showered his vehicle with rose petals.

After voting, Khan appealed on Pakistanis to come out in large numbers and vote sensibly "to save future generations."

The young Zaradri, who is now heading her slain mother's Pakistan People's Party, condemned the bombing in Quetta.

A Pakistan hospital official says an explosion outside crowded polling station in southwestern city of Quetta has killed 25 people and wounded 40. Jaffer Kakar, a doctor, says five policemen and two children are among the dead. He fears the death toll could rise as many of the wounded are in critical condition.

Wednesday's attack comes as Pakistanis vote in general elections for 270 members of the law-making National Assembly, or lower house of parliament, and 577 seats in four provincial assemblies.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the explosion.

Abdur Razzaq Cheema, the police chief in Quetta, Baluchistan's provincial capital, says the explosion took place when near the city's eastern bypass.

Baluchistan also saw the deadliest suicide bombing in the run-up to election day, with 149 people, including a provincial assembly candidate, killed at a campaign this month.

Pakistani police say a shooting between supporters of two opposing political parties has left one person dead and wounded two people in a village near the northwestern city of Sawabi.

It is the first violence on election day in Pakistan. Ahead of Wednesday's balloting, over 170 people — including three candidates running in the elections — were killed in suicide bombings in southwestern Baluchistan and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

Police officer Khalid Hamdani says it's unclear what triggered the shootout between a group of supporters of the secular Awami National Party, which has often bbeen targeted by the Taliban, and the Tehrik-e-Insaf led by former cricket star Imran Khan, a center-right party.

Hamdani says the situation is now under control and voting is underway in Col Sher Khan village.

A hard-line Pakistani cleric who heads an alliance of religious parties and the country's parliament speaker have cast their ballots in the general elections underway in Pakistan.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman voted in the northwestern city of Dera Ismail Khan soon after polls opened on Wednesday.

His Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal is a potential threat to opposition leader, former cricket star Imran Khan's party in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Khan's party has ruled the province for the last five years.

Rehman appealed to citizens after casting his ballot to cast their votes with the full sense of responsibility so capable hands could take over the country.

Ayaz Sadiq, speaker of the National Assembly, voted in the eastern city of Lahore.

Pakistan Muslim League chief Shahbaz Sharif cast his vote in the eastern city of Lahore soon after polls opened in national elections.

Sharif, the younger brother of disgraced ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif, took over the ruling Pakistan Muslim League last year after his brother was found guilty of corruption. The ex-prime minister has since been sentenced to 10 years in jail, which he is serving while appealing the conviction.

The younger Sharif stood in line waiting his turn to enter the polling booth. In Pakistan, a candidate can run for elections in multiple seats. If the candidate wins more than one seat, a by-election will be held as a person can represent only one constituency.

Sharif marked his ballot for both the National and Punjab provincial Parliaments and is contesting elections in four National Assembly seats and in two Punjab provincial legislature seats.

Pakistanis began voting in a historic third straight election ending a campaign marred by widespread allegations of manipulation that local and international rights group say imperils the country's wobbly transition to democratic rule.

There are 85,307 polling stations across Pakistan and more than 11,000 candidates are vying for 270 seats in parliament and 570 seats in four provincial assemblies. Voting for two parliament seats and six seats in provincial assemblies has been postponed for a later date, due to attacks on candidates or disqualifications. One candidate in the Sindh provincial assembly was unopposed and has already secured that seat.

Under Pakistani law, separate seats are reserved for women and for non-Muslim minorities, who comprise 4 percent of the population. </s> went to polls on Tuesday to elect members of its national legislature, Knesset, with more than 6.3 million voters eligible to exercise their franchise in what has been described as a closely fought battle.

of reported that polling began at 7am on Tuesday in 10,000 polling stations across the country. A total of 39 diverse political parties are participating in the elections for the 21st legislature.

However, this time it is a closely fought election between and former

Surveys show that Gantz's centrist is slightly ahead of But Netanyahu still has a favourable option of forming a majority coalition with other right-wing parties and retain his office.

Despite reeling under a series of corruption allegations, Netanyahu is seeking a fifth term in office. If he wins, he would become Israel's surpassing founding father

In the final days of his election campaign, Netanyahu vowed to annex settlements in the occupied if re-elected. The leader even dubbed himself as the underdog and warned that "the right-wing government is in danger".

Despite the expected majority for right-wing factions in the 120-seat Knesset, Netanyahu said that would choose whichever party is the biggest if no prime ministerial candidate has sufficient number of recommendations from other party leaders to assemble a coalition.

Netanyahu is likely to be indicted in three corruption cases, including in a charge of bribery.

Meanwhile, Gantz said needed to choose between "a direction of unity and connection and hope" and one of "extremism." He vowed to form "a cabinet of reconciliation, with representatives from the (current) coalition and opposition."

In the elections, viewed as a referendum on Netanyahu's leadership, 10,720 booths are being set up across the country, including 190 in hospitals and 58 in prisons.

Only soldiers, foreign envoys, prisoners and hospitalised patients are allowed to cast ballots away from the polling station assigned to their place of residence.

Final results of the elections are likely to be out on Thursday.
Voters in South Africa go to the polls to elect new members of the National Assembly and provincial legislatures.