1953 South African General Election
15 April 1953 · The apartheid parliament · 156 seats, 79 for a majority
General elections were held in South Africa on 15 April 1953. The elections consolidated the position of the National Party under D.
Held in wartime. This election took place while the country was engaged in Korean War [ 9 ] (1950–1953). Conflicts →
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
D. F. Malan
National
Government leader (continued)
D. F. Malan
National
Largest force
National Party
94 of 156 seats
Turnout
88.0%
The result
| Share of the Assembly | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Party | D. F. Malan | 94 | +15 | 598 718 | 49.5% | +7.8 | |
| United Party | Koos Strauss | 57 | +8 | 576 474 | 47.6% | -1.5 | |
| Labour Party | John Christie | 5 | +1 | 34 730 | 2.9% | +0.3 |