UDM still hopeful
2004-04-15 18:41
Pretoria - It was too early to conclude that the United Democratic Movement's support had decreased since the last election, said Secretary General Malizolo Diko on Thursday.
"We are still quite comfortable," he said. "At this point in 1999 we only had 90 000 votes."
Party leader Bantu Holomisa earlier in the day visited Diko at the electoral results centre in Pretoria. They drank a relaxed cup of tea together as they watched votes clock up on an election board above them: 185 040 votes for the UDM so far, enough for a few seats in parliament at least.
Diko said results from the rural areas and several townships were only just starting to come in early on Thursday evening, and these municipalities held much of the UDM's support base.
"Things are starting to happen," he said.
He said the UDM had been concentrating on broadening its support base out of its stronghold in the Eastern Cape. He expected to see gains in the Western Cape, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
"You remember we launched our manifesto in KwaZulu-Natal, we are gaining support in that province."
However, the UDM had 1.95% of the national votes counted so far - less than the 3.42% it received in the 1999 election.
- SAPA