Cape Town, May 8 (IANS): South Africa's biggest opposition party Democratic Alliance (DA) is expected to win 88 seats in the National Assembly, 21 seats more than what it got in the 2009 elections, according to the latest election predictions published Thursday.
Meanwhile, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) could secure 262 seats in parliament, two seats fewer than after the last general elections in 2009, Xinhua reported citing South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) predictions.
The predictions were based on early election results.
The newly-formed Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) would have 21 seats in the National Assembly, according to the SABC's predictions.
The Inkatha Freedom Party and National Freedom Party would have nine and six seats, while the remaining 14 seats would be shared among other smaller parties, the SABC predicted.
South Africans voted Wednesday to elect the new National Assembly and provincial legislatures.
The National Assembly consists of 400 members elected by proportional representation with a closed list approach. A total of 200 members will be elected from national party lists, while the other 200 will be elected from provincial party lists in each of the nine provinces.
The president of South Africa will be chosen by the National Assembly after the elections. The premiers of each province will be chosen by the winning majority in each provincial legislature.
The final election results are expected at the end of the week.