1978 South West African parliamentary election

Parliamentary elections were held in South West Africa between 4 and 8 December 1978. These were the first elections conducted under universal adult suffrage, all previous elections had been Whites-only. The 1978 elections were won by the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance, which claimed 41 of the 50 seats. The elections were conducted without United Nations (UN) supervision, and in defiance of the 1972 United Nations General Assembly's recognition of the South West African People's Organisation (SWAPO) as the "sole representative of Namibia's people". The UN henceforth declared the elections null and void. The resulting government, dependent on South African approval for all its legislation, was in power until its dissolution in 1983. Background The elections were a direct outcome of the 1975–1977 Turnhalle Constitutional Conference, a controversial conference in Windhoek that developed a draft constitution for a semi-autonomous South West Africa. Representatives of 11 South West African ethnic groups were invited, selected by the South African government. Existing political parties were not considered.Napierala Nils Namibia zu Zeiten des Kolonialismus und der Mandatsherrschaft Namibia During the Periods of Colonialism and Foreign Administration 2010 GRIN German 978-3-640-74284-4 16 https://books.google.com/books?id=8HShmc_3MUoC&pg=PA16 As a result of the conference, the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA) was founded, mainly from the attending ethnic groups and smaller, ethnically based parties. This was done to form a counterbalance to SWAPO. http://rehobothbasters.com/newsdetails.php?id=136 DTA 'Down but Not Out' Kuvee Kangueehi New Era (via rehobothbasters.com) 22 October 2004 23 September 2014 4 March 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160304035017/http://rehobothbasters.com/newsdetails.php?id=136 dead The Turnhalle Conference developed a draft constitution called the Turnhalle Plan for the territory. The constitution was approved in a Whites-only referendum in 1977 but never enacted, due to pressure by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). http://www.vantaa.fi/fi/kulttuuri/museot/vantaan_kaupunginmuseo/vantaa_city_museum/the_long_road_to_independence The South Africa Mandate 1915-1989 Vantaa City Museum 14 September 2011February 2019 InternetArchiveBot yes However, the planned elections under general adult suffrage were still held. Conduct The 1978 parliamentary elections were the first multi-racial elections in the territory of South West Africa, all previous elections were only for Whites.The art of compromise: Constitution-making in Namibia Mudge Dirk Dirk Mudge 126 Konrad Adenauer Foundation http://www.kas.de/upload/auslandshomepages/namibia/constitution_2010/mudge.pdf 23 September 2014 5 March 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160305185328/http://www.kas.de/upload/auslandshomepages/namibia/constitution_2010/mudge.pdf dead Even though the elections excluded the Namibia National Front, SWAPO Democrats and SWAPO,Chronology of Namibian History, 1978 Dierks Klaus Klaus Dierks klausdierks.com 18 September 2014 http://www.klausdierks.com/Chronology/120.htm who in turn called for a boycott,Okoth Assa A History of Africa: African nationalism and the de-colonisation process [1915-1995] https://books.google.com/books?id=suMvEWjK-OcC&pg=PA195 2 2006 East African Publishers 9966253580 195 voter turnout was surprisingly high at 80%. The presence of South African troops, particularly in the north of Namibia, might have been a reason for both high turnout and the DTA result, and there were several charges of coercion levelled at major South West African employers and the South African security forces. The S.W.A. / Namibia Election Weinberg Paul Reality 11 2 University of KwaZulu-Natal 6–7 March 1979 http://www.disa.ukzn.ac.za/webpages/DC/remar79.4/remar79.4.pdf dead https://web.archive.org/web/20140515015000/http://www.disa.ukzn.ac.za/webpages/DC/remar79.4/remar79.4.pdf 2014-05-15 However, the level of support for SWAPO's political programme and war effort within the general population was unclear,Counterrevolution in Namibia Owen Robert C Airpower Journal Winter 1987–88 http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/apj/apj87/win87/owen.html 2014-09-19 https://web.archive.org/web/20161231193159/http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/apj/apj87/win87/owen.html 2016-12-31 dead which cast some doubt on the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) 1972 decision to accept SWAPO as the "sole representative of Namibia's people".Namibia profile BBC News There was a general perception that eligible voters who abstained from participating were SWAPO supporters. Encouraged by a voter turnout that high, the DTA subsequently claimed that it enjoyed a greater degree of popular support than SWAPO.Liberating Namibia: The Long Diplomatic Struggle Between the United Nations and South Africa Udogu E Ike McFarland & Company 2011 57–58 978-0786488780 https://books.google.com/books?id=kdPadeeqVBIC&pg=PA57 Results The interim government consisted of a National Assembly and a Council of Ministers. The DTA won the elections by a landslide, gaining 41 of the 50 seats in the National Assembly and the chairmanship of the ministerial council, to which Dirk Mudge was appointed. Johannes Skrywer became the speaker of the National Assembly. The UNSC declared the election "null and void", and the subsequent interim government illegitimate.Johannes Skrywer gestorben Johannes Skrywer died German Allgemeine Zeitung 18 September 2014 http://www.az.com.na/lokales/johannes-skrywer-gestorben.420387 https://archive.today/20140918074852/http://www.az.com.na/lokales/johannes-skrywer-gestorben.420387 dead 18 September 2014Democratic Elections in Namibia. An International Experiment in Nation Building National Democratic Institute for International Affairs June 1989 12 https://www.ndi.org/files/158_na_election_060189.pdf 2014-09-23 2008-11-29 https://web.archive.org/web/20081129110451/https://www.ndi.org/files/158_na_election_060189.pdf dead Democratic Turnhalle Alliance 268130 41 Action Front for the Retention of Turnhalle Principles 38716 6 Namibia Christian Democratic Party 9073 1 Herstigte Nasionale Party 5781 1 Rehoboth Liberation Front 4564 1 4791 412635 African Elections Database Aftermath The interim government was dissolved on 18 January 1983 when South Africa again assumed full administrative authority over South West Africa after the Council of Ministers had resigned in the face of South African interference.Nohlen Dieter Krennerich Michael Thibaut Bernhard Elections in Africa: a data handbook https://books.google.com/books?id=9v1MnKYHSLoC&pg=PA660 1999 Oxford University Press 0-19-829645-2 660 This was mainly due to the South African government vetoing the National Assembly's decision to stop observing the Day of the Vow as a public holiday in South West Africa and the DTA resigned all their seats in protest.http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,951920-1,00.html https://web.archive.org/web/20121017122921/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,951920-1,00.html dead 17 October 2012 Unhappy Holiday 1983-01-31 Time 2008-11-19 The subsequent void was filled by South African administrators. In September 1983 the Multi-Party Conference (MPC) was established. It consisted of 19 "internal" (that is, South West African) parties but again excluded SWAPO.Chronology of Namibian History, 1983 http://www.klausdierks.com/Chronology/125.htm Dierks Klaus Klaus Dierks 29 October 2014 The MPC suggested in its April 1985 Bill of Fundamental Rights and Objectives the establishment of a Transitional Government of National Unity (TNGU). South Africa followed this suggestion three months later. This interim government was again rejected by the United Nations Security Council in Resolution 566.Chronology of Namibian History, 1985 Dierks Klaus Klaus Dierks klausdierks.com 29 October 2014 http://www.klausdierks.com/Chronology/127.htm References Parliamentary Category:Parliamentary elections in Namibia South West Africa South West Africa