South African general election, 2004
Legislative elections were held in South Africa on Wednesday, 14 april 2004. The African National Congress (ANC) of President Thabo Mbeki, which has been in power since the end of the apartheid system in 1994, was re-elected with an increased majority.These were the third free elections held since the end of the apartheid era. The South African National Assembly consists of 400 members, elected by proportional representation. Two hundred members are elected from national party lists, the other 200 are elected from party lists in each of the nine provinces. The President of South Africa is chosen by the National Assembly after each election.
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2 Final results 3 See also 4 External links |
Overview
The ANC, which has been in power since 1994, obtained 69.7% of votes cast on the national ballot, theoretically allowing them to change the constitution — though they have pledged not to. Only about 56% of eligible voters took part in the election, with the ANC receiving support from about 38% of all eligible voters.
The main opposition party, the DA, also obtained an increased percentage on the national ballot, most likely from former supporters of the NNP, possibly losing some support to Patricia se Lille's new ID. The NNP, a descendant of the ruling party of the apartheid era, lost most of their support, dropping from 6.9% in 1999 to 1.7% (it was 20.4% in 1994), many of their supporters being unhappy with their alliance with the ANC. The ID suprised many observers by obtaining more votes than the NNP, becoming the fifth largest party. The IFP lost some support, including the majority in their stronghold province of Kwazulu-Natal, while the UDM also lost support, barely hanging on as opposition in their stronghold, the Eastern Cape.
| Party (abbr.) | Leader | Votes | % | Change | Seats | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| African National Congress (ANC) | Thabo Mbeki | 10,878,251 | 69.7 | +3.3 | 279 | +13 |
| Democratic Alliance (DA) | Tony Leon | 1,931,201 | 12.4 | +2.8 | 50 | +12 |
| Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) | Mangosuthu Buthelezi | 1,088,664 | 7.0 | -1.6 | 28 | -6 |
| United Democratic Movement (UDM) | Bantu Holomisa | 355,717 | 2.3 | -1.1 | 9 | -5 |
| Independent Democrats (ID) | Patricia de Lille | 269,765 | 1.7 | +1.7 | 7 | +7 |
| New National Party (NNP) | Marthinus van Schalkwyk | 257,824 | 1.7 | -5.2 | 7 | -21 |
| African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) | Kenneth Meshoe | 250,272 | 1.6 | +0.2 | 6 | - |
| Freedom Front Plus (FF+) | Pieter Mulder | 139,465 | 0.89 | +0.09 | 4 | +1 |
| United Christian Democratic Party (UCDP) | Lucas Mangope | 117,792 | 0.75 | -0.03 | 3 | - |
| Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) | Motsoko Pheko | 113,512 | 0.73 | +0.01 | 3 | - |
| Minority Front (MF) | 55,267 | 0.35 | +0.04 | 2 | +1 | |
| Azanian People's Organisation (AZAPO) | 41,776 | 0.27 | +0.1 | 2 | +1 | |
| Others | 113,161 | 0.72 | -0.29 | 0 | -3 | |
| Total | 15,612,667 | 100.0 | - | 400 | - |