By Blessing Chinagorom
The National Assembly (NA) has, during its first sitting of the 7th Parliament on Friday, has elected Cyril Ramaphosa as President -elect of the Republic of South Africa.
In a statement released by the Parliament, Ramaphosa was re-elected to serve a second term as the President due to the terms of the Constitution that National Assembly must, at its first sitting after its election, elect woman or man from among its members to be the President.
Ramaphosa was elected with 283 votes against Mr Julius Malema with 44 votes while the Constitution stated that when elected President, a person ceases to be a member of the National Assembly.
And that within five days, the President-elect must assume office by swearing or affirming faithfulness to the Republic and obedience to the Constitution.
It was disclosed that the President-elect will be inaugurated during a ceremony in Pretoria which, according to the Constitution, should take place within five days after the President’s election.
Once the President has taken the oath of office, he will proceed to form a cabinet, selecting ministers who will head various government departments and execute the administration’s policies.
Additionally, the President will convene a joint sitting of the newly established National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces for the Opening of Parliament Address (OPA).
