JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s second-biggest political party, the Democratic Alliance, elected a new leader on Sunday who defended the coalition with the African National Congress and outlined plans to lead the next government.

Geordin Hill-Lewis, currently the mayor of Cape Town, was elected at the party’s federal congress in Johannesburg on Sunday.

His election comes ahead of local polls later this year, as support for opposition parties rises and the ANC’s appeal wanes.

The ANC has governed the country since the end of white minority rule in 1994, but was forced to negotiate a coalition government with the Democratic Alliance and other smaller opposition parties after losing its parliamentary majority in the 2024 elections.

Addressing members of his party after he was elected, Hill-Lewis defended the party’s decision to enter into a coalition with the ANC but said the intention was to win the next elections outright.

“I am not satisfied being a junior partner in a coalition government. Our ambition must be to lead the national government. That is the next chapter in our party’s proud history,” he said.

He said the party had proven in the cities where it governs that it can lead the national government. “We can win power in South Africa, but only if we govern well, for every South African, are present in every community, and act as a strong and principled coalition partner.”

The government has faced hurdles due to both parties’ stark ideological differences. They oppose each other on key policies including affirmative action, land restitution and Black economic empowerment.