Democratic Party (South Africa)

The Democratic Party (DP) was the name of the South African political party now called the Democratic Alliance. Although the Democratic Party name dates from 1989, the party existed under other labels throughout the apartheid years, when it was the Parliamentary opposition to the ruling National Party's policies.

This article is about the Democratic Party that existed from 1989 to 2000. For the Democratic Party that existed from 1973 to 1977, see Democratic Party (South Africa, 1973). For more about the history of the PFP, and the DA since its formation in 2000, see Democratic Alliance (South Africa).

Democratic Party
Demokratiese Party (Afrikaans)
Afrikaans nameDemokratiese Party
AbbreviationDP
First LeadersZach de Beer
Denis Worrall
Wynand Malan
Last LeaderTony Leon
Founded1989 (1989)
Dissolved24 June 2000 (2000-06-24)
Merger ofPFP
NRP
Independent Party
Succeeded byDemocratic Alliance
HeadquartersCape Town
Western Cape
Ideology
Political positionCentre-right
International affiliationLiberal International
Colours  Blue
Slogan"Fight Back"

Background

The Progressive Federal Party had formed the main parliamentary opposition to the Apartheid regime in the whites-only House of Assembly since 1977. But the party was ousted as the official opposition in the 1987 election and pushed into third place behind the far-right Conservative Party, which opposed even the limited reforms the NP had recently implemented. This led to great disillusionment amongst South Africa's white liberal community, and some questioned the merit of continuing to serve in the apartheid parliament. By 1989, they had regrouped, however, and aimed to strengthen the white parliamentary resistance to apartheid; the Progressive Federal Party merged with two smaller reform-minded parties, the Independent Party and the National Democratic Movement (NDM), to become the Democratic Party. The new party had three co-leaders from each of the parties that had entered the merger: Zach de Beer, Denis Worrall and Wynand Malan. De Beer, from the dominant PFP-faction, eventually became the sole leader, however.

History

The DP showed its political strength by winning a local by-election in the mostly Afrikaner Linden suburb in Johannesburg, described as a "shock upset" that showed the NP that voters were ready for change.[1] It went on to win 34 seats in the 1989 election, up from 20 before the vote.

In 1990, the NP shifted its race policies towards the centre. President FW de Klerk released Nelson Mandela and announced the unbanning of struggle organisations such as the African National Congress, while embracing liberal democracy and opening up its membership to all races. This shift narrowed the political space available to the DP, and the party saw itself further marginalized during the Codesa negotiations which were dominated by the ANC and NP. In the 1994 election, the party won a disappointing 7 seats in the democratic parliament.

Post-1994

Following the 1994 election, Tony Leon became the party's sole leader.

Under Leon's leadership, the DP would become the most active and influential opposition party in the National Assembly, despite its small size. A mid-term review in 1997 found that the party's seven members of parliament had asked 50% as many parliamentary questions as the members of the National Party, despite being more than ten times smaller. In 1998, political columnist Howard Barrell wrote that "Seven DP MPs make their National Party counterparts look like 80 feather dusters".[2] The DP won its first local by-election in a traditional NP constituency in March 1997, and this was followed by several others.

1998 to 2000

By 1998, the party was growing its support base significantly, and after the 1999 election, the DP, under the leadership of Leon, became Official Opposition to the ANC-led government, winning 38 seats. In the Western Cape province, it achieved kingmaker status and became the junior partner in a governing coalition with the renamed New National Party (NNP).

This electoral success came at a price, however. The party's new supporters largely came from the National Party and consisted overwhelmingly of ethnic minorities, mainly whites.[3][4] The DP had contested the 1999 election with a highly negative campaign under the controversial slogan "Fight Back",[4][3][5] and many, such as ANC President Thabo Mbeki, were of the view that it was "the transformation of the DP into a right wing political party"[6] that allowed it to capture these voters. Leon and other party leaders dismissed this, however, maintaining that the new supporters would not lead the DP to change its principles. Instead, he said the new recruits would have to ascribe to the liberal-democratic values to which the DP had historically adhered.[7]

Formation of the Democratic Alliance

To unify national opposition against the ANC government, the DP and the NNP began planning a merger of the two parties. Accordingly, they formed the Democratic Alliance (DA) in June 2000. The merger agreement was short-lived, with the NNP leaving the alliance in 2001, but the DA closed ranks and retained the new creation, establishing it at all levels of government from 2003 onwards.

Election results
Election Votes % Seats
1994 338,426 1.73 7
1999 1,527,337 9.56 38

See also

References
  1. "Liberals fought the good fight — Subscribe — Politicsweb".
  2. Barrell, Howard (7 August 1998). "Dear Lord, have mercy on 'Kortbroek'". Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  3. "Discontented whites pin hopes on 'liberal'". the Guardian. 4 June 1999. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  4. "The DA playing up 'swart gevaar' is the legacy of Tony Leon". The Citizen. 20 March 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  5. "The politician who sells absolution". the Guardian. 21 May 1999. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  6. "ANC Today — Volume 1 No 46". 7 December 2001.
  7. Institutions, Ethnicity, and Political Mobilization in South Africa, page 133
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