Jacob Zuma’s journey to the South African presidency has been bruising and divisive. At times, as he fought to overcome corruption charges, he has appeared ready to undermine the country’s institutions. His struggle for political ascendancy with Thabo Mbeki, the former president, split the ruling African National Congress. Yet Wednesday’s election has given him a huge popular mandate. South Africa’s next president has the opportunity to govern with magnanimity and repair the damage.

Not everyone will be comfortable with the outcome, but it would be hard to fault the process. Apart from isolated incidents, South Africans voted peacefully and in numbers comparable to the first post-apartheid elections in 1994, demonstrating their abiding faith in the power of the ballot box.