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Eastern Cape premier, Noxolo Kiviet, has thanked the people of the province who came out in their millions to vote in the country's fifth democratic election.
In a statement on Monday, Kiviet said more than 2.2 million of the 3.2 million people registered to vote in the province cast their ballots, for an overall voter turn-out of 68.3%.
She said this was a demonstration of active citizenship and patriotism.
"A humble word of appreciation to all voters of our province who came out in their large numbers to exercise their democratic right and responsibility to elect a government of their choice. We appreciate the tolerance, dignity and patience with which voters conducted themselves as they waited to cast their vote. This is a demonstration of active citizenship and patriotism" stated the Premier.
The Premier also congratulated security agencies (SAPS and SANDF) and other government departments in particular the department of Home Affairs for their hard work in the distributing identity documents (ID'S) to enable the public to exercise their right to vote.
The security measures contributed greatly to elections which were peaceful and conducted in a spirit of democracy, added the Premier.
Furthermore, the Premier also congratulated the Independent Electorate Commissions for maintaining their track record of running free and fair elections.
Government acknowledges the positive spirit in which the political parties conducted themselves during the elections. This is an indication of our maturity as a democracy, said the Premier.
In the same vein, the Premier also congratulated the winning party the ANC for the overwhelming victory. "We are pleased with the election results and appreciate the show of continued confidence and a clear mandate for ANC to govern Eastern Cape for the next five years."
"We appreciate the comprehensive coverage of our elections by our provincial media, and affirm the positive role of the media in strengthening and enhancing our democracy.
"The 2014 General Elections were another milestone in our country's democratic history. Thank you, citizens of the Eastern Cape for keeping our democracy strong and vibrant by casting your vote" concluded the Premier.
The Eastern Cape Legislature will be sworn in on 21 May where the new Speaker and the Premier of the fifth democratically elected government will be elected,
The new Executive Council of the Province will then be announced and sworn in on the 23 of May 2014, whilst the State of the Province Address will take place on the 27 of June.
