Author: Dr Collette Schulz-Herzenberg
The African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) is predicted to obtain just under 1% of the vote (up from 0.57% in 2014) and will likely return to National Parliament with a handful of seats to pursue its longstanding role as an inordinately active oversight opposition party.
With over 80% of VD’s counted the party has already passed its 2014 vote count when it achieved 104,039 votes. With over 120,000 votes nationally already in the bag it looks set to become the sixth largest party in the National Assembly, which moves it up the ranks from 9th place in parliament.
In the Western Cape, its stronghold, the ACDP have already double their vote count, which currently sits at 53,024, from 2014 when they received 21,696 votes in the province. However, they are likely to move from fourth to become the fifth largest party just behind Patricia de Lille’s newcomer Good Party.
Like most of the smaller parties that have done well in the 2019 elections, the ACDP’s success is due to its ability to reach voters through strategic advertising campaigns, and by pushing clear policy positions and building a name for oversight.
