South Africa President Ramaphosa sidesteps Polisario in his inauguration speech

On Wednesday, June 19, Cyril Ramaphosa was sworn in as the new President of South Africa. In his address to parliament, he dismissed the country's traditional support for Polisario positions and the right to self-determination.

Ramaphosa announced that the new foreign policy of the «government of national unity», formed through a coalition of five parties, will be «based on human rights, solidarity, and peace».

For the record, Ramaphosa's party, the African National Congress (ANC), lost its absolute majority in the May 29 legislative elections. To maintain its hold on power, the historic party was compelled to form a coalition with the pro-Western Democratic Alliance (DA), the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), the GOOD Movement, and the Patriotic Alliance (PA).