Editing African National Congress (section)

=== Electoral candidates ===
Under South Africa's closed-[[Party-list proportional representation|list proportional representation]] electoral system, parties have immense power in selecting candidates for legislative bodies. The ANC's internal [[Preselection|candidate selection]] process is overseen by so-called "list committees" and tends to involve a degree of broad democratic participation, especially at the local level, where ANC branches vote to nominate candidates for the local government elections.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mac Giollabhui |first=Shane |date=2018-08-18 |title=Battleground: candidate selection and violence in Africa's dominant political parties |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13510347.2018.1451841 |journal=Democratization |language=en |volume=25 |issue=6 |pages=978–995 |doi=10.1080/13510347.2018.1451841 |s2cid=218523954 |issn=1351-0347}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Giollabhuí |first=Shane Mac |date=2013 |title=How things fall apart: Candidate selection and the cohesion of dominant parties in South Africa and Namibia |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1354068811407599 |journal=Party Politics |language=en |volume=19 |issue=4 |pages=577–600 |doi=10.1177/1354068811407599 |s2cid=145444345 |issn=1354-0688}}</ref> Between 2003 and 2008, the ANC also gained a significant number of members through the controversial [[floor crossing (South Africa)|floor crossing]] process, which occurred especially at the local level.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Booysen |first=Susan |date=2006 |title=The Will of the Parties Versus the Will of the People?: Defections, Elections and Alliances in South Africa |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1354068806068598 |journal=Party Politics |language=en |volume=12 |issue=6 |pages=727–746 |doi=10.1177/1354068806068598 |s2cid=145011059 |issn=1354-0688}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=McLaughlin |first=Eric |date=2012 |title=Electoral regimes and party-switching: Floor-crossing in South Africa's local legislatures |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1354068810389610 |journal=Party Politics |language=en |volume=18 |issue=4 |pages=563–579 |doi=10.1177/1354068810389610 |s2cid=143948206 |issn=1354-0688}}</ref>

The leaders of the [[Executive (government)|executive]] in each sphere of government – the [[President of South Africa|president]], the provincial [[Premier (South Africa)|premiers]], and the mayors – are [[Indirect election|indirectly elected]] after each election. In practice, the selection of ANC candidates for these positions is highly centralised, with the ANC caucus voting together to elect a pre-decided candidate. Although the ANC does not always announce whom its caucuses intend to elect,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Myburgh |first=James |date=2009-03-06 |title=The ANC's secret premier candidates |url=https://www.politicsweb.co.za/news-and-analysis/the-ancs-secret-premier-candidates |access-date=2022-07-25 |website=PoliticsWeb |language=en}}</ref> the [[National Assembly of South Africa|National Assembly]] has thus far always elected the ANC president as the national president.