The white-minority government and the African National Congress ended months of pro-democracy talks Friday by agreeing that black and white South Africans would share power for at least five years, negotiators said.
The agreement, if endorsed by other South African parties, means ANC President Nelson Mandela could become president within about one year, with President Frederik de Klerk likely serving in his Cabinet, but it also effectively delays black majority rule until near the end of the century.Speaking at the end of the latest round of talks, deputy constitutional development minister Fanus Schoeman told a news conference the two sides agreed that a government of national unity should remain in power for five years after the country's first nonracial elections, expected to be held later this year or early next year.
"We see it as a five-year period. The ANC sees it as a five-year period," Schoeman said at the end of the three-day meeting. "It will continue to be a government of national unity for the full five years."
The agreement is seen as a significant shift toward the center by both sides. The government is no longer clinging to its demands of indefinite power-sharing, and the ANC has abandoned its demand for majority rule elections immediately after agreement on a new constitution.
Observers say the two sides started moving toward the center last year following the collapse of multiparty talks, the realization of how bad the economy was and the escalation of political violence.
The two sides realized they needed one another to rectify the problems in the country, analysts said.