1948 South African General Election
The apartheid election26 May 1948 · The apartheid parliament · 150 seats, 76 for a majority
General elections were held in South Africa on 26 May 1948. They represented a major turning point in the country's history, as despite receiving just under half of the votes cast, the United Party and its leader, incumbent Prime Minister Jan Smuts, were ousted by the Herenigde Nasionale Party (HNP) led by D.
A whites-only election under apartheid: the great majority of South Africans were denied the vote entirely. Recorded here as history, with that exclusion stated plainly.
Government leader before
Jan Smuts
United
Government leader after
D. F. Malan
Reunited National
Largest force
Herenigde Nasionale Party
70 of 150 seats
Turnout
80.3%
The result
Herenigde Nasionale Party
D. F. Malan · 37.7% of votes · +27 seats
70
seats
United Party
Jan Smuts · 49.2% of votes · +24 seats
65
seats
Afrikaner Party
Nicolaas Havenga · 3.9% of votes · +9 seats
9
seats
Labour Party
John Christie · 2.6% of votes · +3 seats
6
seats