1943 South African general election
General elections were held in South Africa on 7 July 1943 to elect the 150 members of the House of Assembly. The United Party of Jan Smuts won an absolute majority.
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All 150 general roll seats in the House of Assembly 76 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Registered | 1,114,110 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 79.49% ( 0.13pp) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Politics of South Africa |
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South Africa portal
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Although the United Party was victorious, special wartime circumstances such as soldiers on active service being allowed to vote and Smuts's status as an international statesman probably exaggerated the depth and level of attachment to the United Party.
The elections might also have understated Afrikaner support for nationalist policies, as many newly urbanised Afrikaners had not registered as voters. In addition, the infighting between the various Afrikaner political factions reduced their support during the election. However, this election was the beginning of the rise of D. F. Malan as the dominant spokesman for Afrikanerdom, which would come to fruition in the 1948 elections.