No alla Pena di Morte - NO to the Death penalty

President Thabo Mbeki says the ruling African National Congress (ANC) will not use its power to change the Constitution, further dispelling fears on the matter.

With vote counting nearly complete countrywide, the ANC is currently leading the polls in all nine provinces, with 69.65 percent.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) is trailing behind at 12.49 percent while the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) is third with 6.71 percent, followed by the UDM with 2.31 percent of the valid votes counted.

Both the ID and the New National Party (NNP) have 1.77 percent and 1.71 percent respectively.

"We (ANC) ... did not mention that we were campaigning for a two-thirds majority and the reason we did not say that is because we did not visualise any constitutional changes.

"None of the issues that appear on the ANC manifesto will require any constitutional change," said the jubilant President.

"There is no idea whatsoever of any kind of bringing any constitutional change," he affirmed.

The opposition parties, he elaborated, were the ones calling for constitutional changes in their manifestos by demanding the reinstatement of the outlawed death penalty, among others.

The President was speaking to the media at the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) Results Centre in Pretoria today after shaking hands and briefly chatting to various political party leaders, some of who put up disappointed faces.

Amongst them were Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Mulder, United Democratic Movement (UDM) leader Bantu Holomisa, Dr Motsoko Pheko of the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) as well as Independent Democrats (ID) leader Patricia de Lille.

The latter boasted about winning some seats in the National Assembly.

"I am back there and you are not getting rid of me. Only four parties are going there and I am one of those," said Mr Mulder while exchanging pleasantries with the ANC leader.

"For the next five years we will see each other and speak and we must solve the problems... we need to get a win-win situation," he said.

Welcoming his party's victory, President Mbeki, who is due to address his organisation and supporters in Sandton, Johannesburg, later today, said the ANC's landslide victory would further arm his administration to deliver on its mandate.

"It remains our view that the stronger, the more popular and broad based that government is, the better it is. It (government) will unite the people of South Africa to change this country for the better," he said before departing for Johannesburg.

Meanwhile, President Mbeki hinted that his party's role in the KwaZulu-Natal government would depend on the final figures and discussions thereafter with relevant parties.

"...We want to look at the final figures in KwaZulu-Natal and I hope that by later today that will be clear and we will then discuss the matter after that," he explained.