Iran Press/ Africa: The ANC, once led by Nelson Mandela, won 159 seats in the 400-seat parliament in Wednesday's election, down from 230 in the previous assembly.
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa still described the results as a victory for democracy, calling on rival parties to find common ground - and preparing for coalition talks.
The opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party has said it is open to coalition talks with Mr Ramaphosa, but it opposes a number of his government's key priorities.
With all the votes counted, the ANC finished at 40% - down from 58% in the previous election, the electoral commission announced on Sunday.
This was lower than the party's feared worst-case scenario of 45%, analysts said. The ANC now must go into a coalition to form the next government.
Second term
President Cyril Ramaphosa called Sunday for South Africa's political parties to overcome their differences and find “common ground” to form the first national coalition government in its young democracy.
The ANC leader is seeking a second term and can count on the firm support of his group.
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