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1966 South African general election

← 1961 30 March 1966 1970 →
All 166 general roll seats in the House of Assembly 84 seats needed for a majority
Registered	1,901,479
Turnout	68.48% ( 23.93pp)
First party Second party Third party   Leader H. F. Verwoerd De Villiers Graaff Jan Steytler Party National United Progressive Last election 46.44%, 105 seats 35.28%, 49 seats 8.66%, 1 seat Seats won 126 39 1 Seat change 21 10 Popular vote 759,331 476,815 39,717 Percentage 58.31% 36.62% 3.05% Swing 11.87pp 1.34pp 5.61pp
Results by province
Prime Minister before election H. F. Verwoerd National Elected Prime Minister H. F. Verwoerd National

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General elections were held in South Africa on 30 March 1966. The result was another comprehensive victory for the National Party under H. F. Verwoerd.

The election marked a major strengthening of power for the ruling NP, which gained a two-thirds majority in parliament for the first time. The main opposition United Party slightly increased its share of the popular vote, but nevertheless saw its parliamentary representation considerably reduced.

The number of House of Assembly seats for White voters in South Africa had been increased from 150 to 160 by the Constitution Amendment Act of 1965. In addition, there were six seats for White voters from South-West Africa (now Namibia). There were also four seats reserved for Coloured representatives, who did not have to stand for re-election during 1966.

On 6 September, several months after the election, Prime Minister Verwoerd was assassinated.

Coloured Representative Members

The second election for the four coloured representative members had taken place on 4 October 1961, before the (white voters only) general election on 8 October 1961. Under the Separate Representation of Voters Act 1951, the members had been elected to serve until the dissolution of the 1961–1966 Parliament.

The Progressive Party (PP) won the two seats representing coloured voters on the Cape Provincial Council, at an election in 1965. The National Party (NP) government became concerned at the prospect of four additional Progressive MPs being elected. The opposition United Party (UP) also feared the loss of support, if the existing four UP supported independent members were defeated.

Parliament passed the Separate Representation of Voters Amendment Act 1965. This legislation extended the term of the existing coloured representatives until October 1966. Further Separate Representation of Voters Amendment Acts, in 1966 and 1968, extended the term until the dissolution of what turned out to be the 1966–1970 Parliament. The coloured representation in Parliament would then be abolished.

Delimitation of electoral divisions

The South Africa Act 1909 had provided for a delimitation commission to define the boundaries for each electoral division, for general roll voters in the four provinces. The republican constitution continued the arrangements for a commission. The representation by province, under the twelfth delimitation report of 1965, is set out in the table below. The figures in brackets are the number of electoral divisions in the previous (1958) delimitation. If there is no figure in brackets then the number was unchanged.

South-West Africa (with six seats) and the coloured representatives (4 seats), were unaffected by the general delimitation provisions.

Composition at the dissolution

The 13th Parliament since the Union of 1910 and the 1st elected after the republic was proclaimed in 1961, was dissolved in 1966. At the time the House of Assembly consisted of two groups of members. White voters were represented by 156 general roll members and coloured voters in Cape Province by four white MPs known at the time as Coloured Representative Members (CRM).

The general election only affected the representatives of white voters. The other members were elected on a different date (see above).

Since the previous election, the United Party had absorbed the National Union, with which it had had an electoral alliance in 1961.

The representation by party and province, at the dissolution was:-

Results

A total of 356 candidates were nominated; 154 for the National Party, 141 for the United Party, 26 for the Progressive Party, 22 for the Republican Party, 10 for the Front Party, two independents and one Christian National Party. The Republican, Front and Conservative National groups were new right-wing parties, which had not contested previous general elections.

Eighteen candidates were returned unopposed, seventeen representing the National Party and one the United Party. The Progressive Party barely kept its Houghton seat, held by Helen Suzman since her defection from the UP, winning by 117 votes.

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	National Party	759,331	58.31	126	+21
	United Party	476,815	36.62	39	–10
	Progressive Party	39,717	3.05	1	0
	United National South West Party	9,814	0.75	0	0
	Republican Party	8,212	0.63	0	New
	Independent Party	5,800	0.45	0	New
	Front Party	1,526	0.12	0	0
	Christian National Party	936	0.07	0	New
Coloured Representative Members				4	0
Total		1,302,151	100.00	170	+10
Valid votes		1,302,151	99.43
Invalid/blank votes		7,494	0.57
Total votes		1,309,645	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		1,901,479	68.88
Source: Potgieter

By province

References

1. Keesing's Contemporary Archives, 1965–1966, pp21375–21376
2. Helen Suzman (1994) In No Uncertain Terms, p84
3. South Africa 1982 Official Yearbook of the Republic of South Africa, p129
4. Keesing's Contemporary Archives, 1965–1966, pp. 21375–21376
5. Time (magazine)
6. Dirk J. Potgieter (1971) Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa, Volume 4, p273

v t e Elections and referendums in South Africa
General elections	1910 1915 1920 1921 1924 1929 1933 1938 1943 1948 1953 1958 1961 1966 1970 1974 1977 1981 1984 1987 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019 2024
Provincial elections	1910 1917 1935 1936 1943 1949 1954 1959 1965 1970 1974 1981 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019 2024
Municipal elections	1995–96 2000 2006 2011 2016 2021
Referendums	1960 1983 1992
See also: Elections and referendums in the Boer republics and South African colonies Elections and referendums in South African Bantustans

• General elections in South Africa
• 1966 elections in Africa
• 1966 elections in South Africa
• March 1966 events in Africa