This edited collection contains a detailed analysis of the most eagerly anticipated South African elections since 1994. The political context in which these elections took place was characterised by the turbulent rise to power of Jacob Zuma amidst a backdrop of increasing social instability in recent years. Added to this was the emergence of a new party, Cope, which emerged out of the ANC itself as a by-product of the bitter internal divides within the party. In the end, 2009 did not mark the political watershed predicted by some commentators, but nor did the size of the ANC's victory simply reflect ‘business as usual’ for South African politics. A detailed examination of the election results reveals that the final outcome was not as predictable as one might expect.

The ANC's emphatic victory conceals the fact that its share of the vote (as a percentage of the voting age population) has continued to decline as the party lost votes to the DA and the newly formed Cope. From her analysis of voting trends and levels of partisanship, Shultz-Herzenberg argues that this may not be a passing phenomenon. She draws the conclusion that future elections could witness even greater amounts of electoral fluidity, fuelled by an ever-increasing number of non-partisan ‘floating’ voters, who base their votes on retrospective evaluations of government performance, rather than an emotional attachment to a particular party, which could threaten the high levels of support currently enjoyed by the ANC.

Indeed, the most noteworthy outcome of the 2009 elections is not the relatively consistent percentage of the vote obtained by the ANC, but the changing dynamics of the support for South Africa's opposition parties. Several of the chapters discuss the significance of Cope as a new political force. Although its supporters may judge Cope's election performance as a disappointment, the emergence of the party had an important impact on the elections, one with potentially significant implications for the future direction of politics in South Africa. The formation of Cope shook the ANC at its roots, forcing it to review its position on certain issues, and also requiring it to democratise its structures in order to meet the threat to its support base posed by a party forged from within its own ranks. The emergence of Cope, and a stronger performance by the DA, also led to the consolidation of the opposition vote, with many of the smaller parties now left fighting for survival. As a result, the real potential exists for a recalibration of opposition politics in the coming years.

This book contains commentaries from some highly revered analysts of South African politics, and addresses some of the most pertinent questions of the day, such as whether one-party dominance will continue for the foreseeable future. However, one shortcoming of the book is the lack of substantial qualitative research and/or ethnographic insights that would complement the extremely detailed and useful analysis of the election data. The commentators are thus often limited to speculating – rather than interrogating – why, for example, the majority of voters remained loyal to the ANC, whilst others switched their allegiances to Cope or to the DA.

Nonetheless, the book offers a formidable account of the 2009 elections. The contributions are of a consistently high standard, covering a broad range of issues, including gender and the media as well as the primary focus on party politics. This makes it essential reading for those interested in the emerging social and political dynamics in South Africa as the Zuma presidency begins.