Cape Town (South Africa), Jun 15 (AP) South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was reelected by lawmakers for a second term on Friday after his African National Congress party struck a dramatic late coalition deal with the main opposition and other parties.

Ramaphosa won convincingly in a vote against a surprise candidate who was also nominated in Parliament — Julius Malema, the leader of the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters.

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The 71-year-old Ramaphosa secured a second term with the help of lawmakers from the second biggest Democratic Alliance party and others after the ANC lost its 30-year parliamentary majority in a landmark election two weeks ago.

The ANC signed an agreement with the DA — once its fiercest political foe — during the parliamentary session and just hours before the vote for president, ensuring Ramaphosa returned as leader of Africa's most industrialized economy.

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The parties will now co-govern South Africa in its first national coalition where no party has a majority. AP

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)