South Africa held its second democratic election on 4 June 1999. To no oneÕs surprise, the African National Congress (ANC) won in a landslide, and Thabo Mbeki succeeded Nelson Mandela as President. The ANC fell just one seat short of the two thirds majority it would need to amend the constitution on its own (though there is no evidence that it had any plans to do so).

All the signs are that Mbeki will keep South Africa on its current course. Mbeki is the son of one of MandelaÕs closest colleagues and prison-mates, and he literally grew up in the struggle against apartheid. Living in exile, he received degrees in economics from EnglandÕs Sussex University and became one of the partyÕs leading economists and negotiators. Known as a quiet pragmatist, Mbeki is no longer the revolutionary Marxist he was in the 1970s and has become the primary architect of the ANCÕs pro-business and growth economic policies.

The election also produced a significant change in the opposition. The Inkatha Freedom Party and the New National Party, which had been the main opposition groups in the outgoing parliament, both fared poorly. The big winnersÐif you can call them thatÐwere the Democratic Party, which took the hardest line on such issues as affirmative action, and the new United Democratic Movement led by Bantu Holomisa (ex-ANC) and Roelf Meyer (ex-National Party).

The 1999 South African Election

Party	Seats-1999	Seats-1994
ANC	266	252
Democratic Party	38	7
Inkatha Freedom Party	34	43
New National Party	28	82
United Democratic Movement	14	NA
Other	20	7

South African politics has been rather calm since the election, President Mbeki has settled into office with a minimum of difficulty, though there are signs that he may face opposition from the trade unions of COSATU if he goes ahead with rumored plans to pursue an even more conservative economic policy than the Mandela government did. Studies showed, too, that South Africa has one of the highest HIV infection rates in the world, perhaps as high as 20% among people under 25. Finally, there were a number of violent racial incidents reinforcing the conclusion that the country still has a long way to go to overcome decades of apartheid and centuries of racism.

Main South Africa page