WATCH LIVE: MPs elect new National Assembly speaker and president

South Africa's sixth democratic Parliament is expected to elect the next speaker and the new president of the country on Wednesday in Cape Town.

Earlier, Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng presided over the swearing in of new MPs. The chief justice will also preside over the election of the president, as prescribed by the Constitution.

This will also follow the same procedure as that of the election of the speaker: nomination, secondment, and an election if there is more than one candidate.

Last year, when Cyril Ramaphosa was elected president, he was the only candidate nominated.

Once elected, the president ceases to be a Member of Parliament. The next person on the president's party list will take the seat vacated by the president-elect. 

When elected president, a person ceases to be a member of the National Assembly. The Constitution states that within five days the president-elect must assume office by swearing or affirming faithfulness to the republic and obedience to the Constitution.

The president-elect will not take the oath or affirmation in Parliament on Wednesday. This will be done on Saturday at the R120m inauguration at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.

Stream courtesy of SABC Digital News.