1961 South African general election

1961 South African general election

← 1958 18 October 1961 1966 →

All 156 general roll seats in the House of Assembly
79 seats needed for a majority
Registered1,811,160
Turnout44.55% (Decrease 29.81pp)
  First party Second party
 
Zuid Afrikaanse premier dr. H. Verwoerd, Bestanddeelnr 911-1297 (cropped).jpg
Sir De Villiers Graaff 1960.jpg
Leader H. F. Verwoerd De Villiers Graaff
Party National United
Last election 55.54%, 103 seats 42.57%, 53 seats
Seats won 105 49
Seat change Increase 2 Decrease 4
Popular vote 370,395 261,361
Percentage 46.44% 35.28%
Swing Decrease 9.10pp Decrease 7.29pp

  Third party Fourth party
 
Parlementslede van die Progressiewe Party 1960 (cropped).jpg
Henry Allan Fagan c.1916 (cropped).jpg
Leader Jan Steytler Henry Allan Fagan
Party Progressive National Union
Last election Did not exist Did not exist
Seats won 1 1
Seat change New party New party
Popular vote 69,045 50,279
Percentage 8.66% 6.30%
Swing New party New party

Results by province

Prime Minister before election

H. F. Verwoerd
National

Elected Prime Minister

H. F. Verwoerd
National

General elections were held in South Africa on 18 October 1961.[1] They were the first general elections after South Africa became a republic following the 1960 South African referendum. The National Party under H. F. Verwoerd won a majority in the House of Assembly.

The National Union Party - led by Japie Basson and ex-Chief Justice Henry Allan Fagan in alliance with the United Party - had been formed as a "bridge" to the United Party by disgrunted ex-Nationalists who were unhappy with Verwoerd's leadership, aiming at the National, Afrikaner electorate. With the exception of the constituency of Bezuidenhout, won by Basson in a landslide, the party failed and later merged with the United Party.

The elections also saw the first general election appearance of the liberal Progressive Party, which had broken away from the United Party in 1959. The new party retained one MP, in the form of Helen Suzman. She was to remain its sole parliamentary representative until 1974.

  1. ^ Stultz, Newell M.; Butler, Jeffrey (March 1963). "The South African General Election of 1961". Political Science Quarterly. 78 (1). Academy of Political Science: 86–110. doi:10.2307/2146669. JSTOR 2146669.