1981 South African General Election
29 April 1981 · The apartheid parliament · 165 seats, 83 for a majority
Meanwhile, the Progressive Federal Party – led since 1979 by Frederik van Zyl Slabbert, an Afrikaner – increased its representation to 26 seats, thereby consolidating its position as the official opposition. The Herstigte Nasionale Party (HNP) now under the leadership of Jaap Marais and representing right-wing Afrikaner conservatives, received 14.1% of the vote.
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
P. W. Botha
National
Government leader (continued)
P. W. Botha
National
Largest force
National Party
131 of 165 seats
Turnout
59.9%
The result
| Share of the Assembly | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Party | P. W. Botha | 131 | +3 | 778 371 | 57.7% | -7.7 | |
| Progressive Federal Party | Frederik van Zyl Slabbert | 26 | +9 | 265 297 | 19.6% | +2.7 | |
| New Republic Party | Vause Raw | 8 | +2 | 93 603 | 6.9% | -5.2 |