The African National Congress has easily won South Africa's general election, but its share of the vote fell, reflecting anger at corruption scandals and racial inequalities that remain entrenched a generation after the party took power.
It was the worst electoral performance by the late Nelson Mandela's former liberation movement, which has governed South Africa since the country's first free election marked the end of white minority rule in 1994.
The ANC had not previously won less than 60 per cent of the vote in a national poll, but its victory secures it enough seats in parliament to give President Cyril Ramaphosa another five-year term in office.
However, it may leave him short of ammunition to battle party rivals who oppose his reforms to galvanise the economy and counter graft. Results showed the ANC secured 57.5 per cent of the parliamentary vote, while the main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), also saw its vote share fall.
The DA's communications director Mabine Seabe said the party viewed the outcome as "a positive result. We've grown in communities we've never grown before".
ANC chairman Gwede Mantashe said the party had received "another lifeline" from voters. He said the party had improved compared with the 54 per cent it won in the 2016 local government poll.