Pretoria, May 8 (IANS) The South African government Thursday thanked its citizens for making the fifth democratic elections in the country "successful and peaceful".
"We appreciate the tolerance, dignity and patience with which voters conducted themselves as they waited to cast their vote," Phumla Williams, acting chief executive of the government communication and information system (GCIS), said in a statement.
The government commended the positive spirit with which the political parties conducted themselves during the elections, which it described as "an indication of our maturity as a democracy".
Security agencies and other government departments were also congratulated for their hard work and dedication over the past few months which ensured mostly incident free elections.
The security measures contributed greatly to elections which were peaceful and conducted in a spirit of democracy, the statement added.
Referring to the special voting for South Africans abroad April 30, Williams said "the active citizenship and patriotism was also visible when thousands of expatriates voted at South African missions".
She also thanked the Electoral Commission for the smooth conduct of the elections.
She extended her thanks to the home affairs department for opening its offices across the country Wednesday to help people to get identity documents so they could vote.
Over 313 home affairs offices across the country took part in the election exercise on voting day Wednesday.
She also thanked the media for its "comprehensive" coverage of the day.
"The 2014 general elections were another milestone in our country's democratic history. Thank you, South Africa for keeping our democracy strong and vibrant by casting your vote," she concluded.
Millions of South Africans went to the polls Wednesday to elect a new National Assembly and new provincial legislatures in each province. It was the fifth election since the end of the apartheid era in 1994.
The final results will be announced Sunday.
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