CAPE TOWN : Mandela the Choice
South Africa’s new, multiracial National Assembly, elected last week in the country’s first all-race polls, will convene Friday in the former whites-only Parliament building in Cape Town.
As its first official act, the 400 members are expected to choose Nelson Mandela as president of a government of national unity, based on the overwhelming election victory of his African National Congress. The current president, Frederik W. de Klerk, is expected to become one of at least two vice presidents to Mandela. The number will be determined by the final vote.
Mandela is to take the oath of office May 10 in Pretoria, setting in motion a political transition expected to lead to a new constitution.
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