1989 South African general election

General elections were held in South Africa on 6 September 1989, the last under apartheid. Snap elections had been called early (no election was required until 1992) by the recently elected head of the National Party (NP), F. W. de Klerk, who was in the process of replacing P. W. Botha as the country's president, and his expected program of reform to include further retreat from the policy of apartheid. The creation of the Conservative Party had realigned the NP as a moderate party, now almost certain to initiate negotiations with the black opposition, with liberal opposition (the PFP) openly seeking a new constitutional settlement on liberal democratic and federalist principles.

1989 South African general election

6 September 1989

All 178 elected seats in the House of Assembly
90 seats needed for a majority
Turnout69.48% (Increase1.64pp)
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader F. W. de Klerk Andries Treurnicht Collective
Party National Conservative DP
Last election 123 22 20
Seats won 94 39 33
Seat change Decrease29 Increase 17 Increase 13
Popular vote 1,039,704 680,131 431,444
Percentage 48.19% 31.52% 20.00%
Swing Decrease4.51pp Increase4.69pp Increase5.86pp

Results by constituency

Acting State President before election

F. W. de Klerk
National

State President

F. W. de Klerk
National

Although the National Party won a comfortable majority of seats (94 of 166) in the House of Assembly, the governing party suffered a setback and received only 48% of the popular vote, the first elections since 1961 in which the NP failed to win a majority of the vote. However, the first-past-the-post system, and a severely fractured opposition as well as the twelve appointed and indirectly elected members entrenched the NP's majority, allowing it to comfortably remain in power.

The Conservative Party (CP), which opposed any form of power-sharing with other races, failed to accomplish a breakthrough beyond its conservative Afrikaner backing as some had expected, but remained the official opposition with 39 seats. By some estimates, the party had received the backing of a slim majority of Afrikaners particularly in the Orange Free State, once the NP's heartland, but with very limited support among English-speaking voters.[1]

Before the elections, the liberal Progressive Federal Party (PFP) had dissolved itself and regrouped as the Democratic Party (DP), winning 33 seats, six seats short of retaking its position as the official opposition. In terms of vote share, it fell a quarter million votes behind the CP, but was favoured by its stronghold in the Cape Province and Natal.

House of Assembly (white)

The White Chamber of Parliament had 178 members, 166 of whom were directly elected (including a seat from Walvis Bay annexed from South West Africa, which was added in 1981) with 8 members indirectly elected by the directly elected members on the basis of proportional representation and four nominated by the State President (one from each province).[2]

The results of the election were interpreted by the government (based on support for the NP and the DP together) as a mandate from the white electorate to reform the apartheid system and seek a compromise with the African National Congress and its leader Nelson Mandela. Mandela was released half a year later, and the 1989 elections were the last under the limited, whites-only franchise and the Tricameral Parliament introduced in 1984.

Of the twelve appointed and indirectly-elected seats, nine were taken by the National Party, two by the Conservative Party and one by the Democratic Party.[3]

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
National Party1,039,70448.1994−29
Conservative Party680,13131.5239+17
Democratic Party431,44420.0033+13
Herstigte Nasionale Party5,4160.2500
Independents8980.040–1
Presidential appointees40
Indirectly-elected members80
Total2,157,593100.001780
Valid votes2,157,59399.52
Invalid/blank votes10,3360.48
Total votes2,167,929100.00
Registered voters/turnout3,120,10469.48
Source: Nohlen et al.[4]

House of Representatives (coloured)

All five appointed and indirectly-elected seats were taken by the Labour Party.[2]

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Labour Party171,93066.5969–7
Democratic Reform Party39,74115.395New
United Democratic Party19,8617.693New
Freedom Party1,9490.7510
Independents24,7059.572+1
Presidential appointees2New
Indirectly-elected members3New
Total258,186100.0085+5
Valid votes258,18698.90
Invalid/blank votes2,8611.10
Total votes261,047100.00
Registered voters/turnout1,439,11218.14
Source: Nohlen et al.[4]

House of Delegates (Indian)

Of the five appointed and indirectly-elected seats, three were taken by Solidarity, one by the National People’s Party and one by the Merit People's Party.[2]

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Solidarity58,21638.0216–1
National People's Party38,52325.168–10
Democratic Party10,4276.813New
National Federal Party8,0585.261+1
People's Party of South Africa6,0643.961New
United Party2,7121.770New
Merit People's Party2,0781.363New
Progressive Independent Party1,4970.980–1
Freedom Party7030.462New
Republican Party7010.460New
Independents24,15715.776+2
Presidential appointees2New
Indirectly-elected members3New
Total153,136100.00450
Valid votes153,13699.10
Invalid/blank votes1,3880.90
Total votes154,524100.00
Registered voters/turnout663,60423.29
Source: Nohlen et al.[4]

References

  1. The Star, 24 May 1987
  2. 1981 House of Assembly Election African Elections Database
  3. South Africa: Parliamentary Chamber: House of Assembly: Elections held in 1989 Inter-Parliamentary Union
  4. Dieter Nohlen, Michael Krennerich & Bernhard Thibaut (1999) Elections in Africa: A data handbook, pp832–837 ISBN 0-19-829645-2
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