#IMadeMyMark: Past-election facts

SOUTH AFRICA held its first democratic general elections between April 26 and April 29, 1994. The elections were the first in which citizens of all races were allowed to take part and were therefore also the first held with universal adult suffrage.

The 1994 elections

In the April 1994 national and provincial elections, 19 political parties, representing the country’s diverse constituencies, participated in the electoral process. The number of eligible voters in 1994 was estimated at 21.7 million and about 16 million of whom had never voted before.

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) created a state electoral fund with an estimated R22-million to finance the April 1994 elections. Half of that amount was distributed among participating political parties before the election, and the balance afterwards. The first payment was made in late March 1994 to nine parties that had submitted documentation of popular support.

The IEC reported that it had counted 19 726 579 ballots and rejected 193 081 as invalid. The voting was declared generally free and fair.

Seven political parties won seats in the National Assembly: the ANC, 252 seats (representing 62.6 per cent of the popular vote); the NP, 82 seats (20.4 per cent); the IFP, 43 seats (10.5 per cent); the Freedom Front (FF), 9 seats (2.2 per cent); the DP, 7 seats (1.7 per cent); the PAC, 5 seats (1.2 per cent); and the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), 2 seats (0.5 per cent).

The 1999 elections

The election was held on June 2, 1999, for all seats of the National Assembly. The number of registered voters was 18 177 000, the total number of votes (voter turnout) was 16 228 462, the number of invalid or blank votes was 251 320 and the total number of valid votes was 15 977 142. The ANC obtained 10 601 330 votes, the DP obtained 1 527 337 votes, the IFP obtained 1 371 477 votes, the NNP obtained 1 098 215 votes, the UDM obtained 546 790 votes, ACDP obtained 228 972 votes, FF obtained 127 280 votes, the UCDP obtained 125 280 votes and the PAC obtained 113 215 votes.

The ANC won a total of 266 of the 400 seats in the National Assembly, the NNP won 27 seats, the DP won 38, IFP won 33 seats, UDM won 14 seats, ACDP won 6 seats, FF won 3 seats, UDCP won 3 seats, PAC won 3 seats, FA won 2 seats, MF won 1 seat, Azapo won 1 seat and AEB won 1 seat.

The 2004 elections

The election was held on April 14, 2004, for 400 seats in the National Assembly. This was the country’s third democratic non-racial general elections. In his electoral campaign, President Thabo Mbeki promised to fight unemployment, HIV/Aids and poverty.

The 2004 election was contested by only 21 political parties. The number of registered voters was 20 674 926, the total number of votes (voter turnout) was 15 863 558, the number of invalid or blank votes was 250 887 and the total number of valid votes was 15 612 671.

The ANC won 279 seats in the National Assembly, DA won 50 seats, IFP won 28 seats, NNP won 7 seats, ID won 7 seats, UDM won 9 seats, ACDP won 7 seats, FF+ won 4 seats, UCDP won 3 seats, PAC won 3 seats, MF won 2 seats and AZAPO won 1 seat.

The 2009 elections

The 2009 national elections saw an increase in the number of voting stations from 14 650 in 1999 to 19 726 across South Africa. The establishment of new voting districts and changes to the boundaries of existing voting districts resulted in the need for targeted registration campaigns. Through such campaigns, efforts were made to ensure people were registered in the correct voting districts.

The biggest challenge was the issue of the right to vote by South African citizens out of the country. The Electoral Act was very specific on the groups of people who were allowed to vote overseas. The IEC decided that it would apply the provisions of the law. In the end, a number of parties took the matter up in separate court cases. The Constitutional Court heard all these matters and passed judgment on March 12, 2009. The judgment ordered the Commission to make provision for all registered voters overseas to vote at South African missions provided that they gave notice to the chief electoral officer by the prescribed date. The challenge was overcome. On April 15, 2009, votes were cast at South African missions overseas. Prior to the voting day, political parties had their chance to campaign in the country.

The 2009 election was contested by 26 political parties. The election was held on April 22, 2009, for all seats of the National Assembly.

The 2014 elections

The 2014 South African general election was held on May 7, 2014, to elect a new National Assembly and new provincial legislatures in each province. It was the fifth election held in South Africa under conditions of universal adult suffrage since the end of the apartheid era in 1994 and also the first held since the death of Nelson Mandela. It was also the first time that South African expatriates were allowed to vote in a South African national election.

There were 22 263 voting districts counted with a total of 18 402 497 valid votes and 252 274 spoilt votes. The voter turnout was at 73.48 per cent

Top five parties were: ANC with 11 346 921 votes (62.15 per cent) securing 249 seats, DA had 4 091 584 votes (22.23 per cent) with 89 seats, EFF had 1 169 259 votes (6.35 per cent) with 25 seats, IFP had 441 854 (2.4 per cent) with 10 seats and NFP gathered 288 742 votes (1.57 per cent) with six seats.

Sources:

https://omalley.nelsonmandela.org

https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/south-african-general-elections

https://www.elections.org.za/content