The election result

Of the 22.7 million eligible voters, 19.7 million voted in the national election and 19.6 million at the provincial level. These figures indicated a poll of 86%. Very few spoilt votes were recorded in spite of the substantial number of illiterate voters, especially in the rural areas. The ballot papers were simple: they depicted each party’s name and crest in party colours, together with a photograph of the leader. Perhaps the major reason for the remarkably high turnout was that for many voters, especially blacks, the election was a joyful catharsis and a symbolic affirmation of their newfound rights as citizens.

The results were announced by the IEC on 6 May, although the National Party had conceded defeat on 2 May. The seven parties that gained representation and their percentage share of the vote and seats were:

At the provincial level, the ANC won outright control of six provinces, the NP winning in the Western Cape and the IFP in KwaZulu-Natal. In the Northern Cape, the ANC won a plurality of the votes (49.7%), fractionally more than the combined total of votes won by the NP, FF and DP. Among black and white voters, votes cleaved largely to the racial divide. According to Andrew Reynolds’s estimates, 94% of the ANC’s national votes came from blacks, with only 0.5% from whites. Proportionately to its overall vote, the NP showed the widest spread of cross-racial support: 49% white, 30% coloured, 14% black, and 7% Indian. Approximately twothirds of col oured and Indian voters voted for the NP.