1946 Southern Rhodesian general election

none May 2013 July 2024 Southern Rhodesia 1939 1948 1946 04 25 All 30 seats in the Southern Rhodesian Legislative Assembly 16 67.51% United Rhodesia Party Godfrey Huggins 43.22 13 23 Southern Rhodesia Liberal Party Jacob Smit 32.93 12 New Rhodesia Labour Party 16.69 3 7 SRLP 5.61 2 New Prime Minister Prime Minister after election Godfrey Huggins Godfrey Huggins in 1936.jpg United Party Godfrey Huggins Godfrey Huggins in 1936.jpg United Party General elections were held in Southern Rhodesia on 25 April 1946, seven years after the previous elections in 1939, the term of the Southern Rhodesian Legislative Assembly having been extended so that there would be no general elections during World War II. The elections showed a strong shift to the right, as the United Party government led by Prime Minister Godfrey Huggins lost its overall majority; however, Huggins could count on the support of one of the factions of the Rhodesia Labour Party in any vote of confidence and therefore remained in office. Electoral system During the war a number of changes to the franchise had been made. The arrival of large numbers of British subjects to train as pilots for the Royal Air Force from 1940 led to a sudden increase in the electorate. Many Rhodesians felt that the forces personnel ought not to have the vote, given that their presence in Rhodesia was transitory and they had no long-term commitment. Therefore, the Assembly passed the Electoral Amendment Act 1941 which disfranchised them. The Act also disfranchised British subjects from other dominions who were not prepared to make a declaration of willingness to serve in Southern Rhodesia's defence forces. A third provision of the Act was to extend a previous lifetime disqualification of those sentenced to imprisonment to those given suspended prison sentences. In the Civil Disabilities Act 1942, anyone convicted of treasonable or seditious practices, those who had deserted from or evaded service in the Army, or who were cashiered or dishonourably discharged, was disqualified from registration as a voter. To cope with the large number of Rhodesians serving away from the colony in the armed forces, the Active Service Voters Act 1943 permitted them to record their votes in a general election. They were permitted to vote for a political party rather than an individual candidate. There were no alterations to the boundaries of the electoral districts. Political parties Jacob Smit, who had been an ally of Huggins in Reform Party days and previously served at the Ministry of Finance, went into opposition early in 1944. He joined a group of conservatives who were developing a new political party on the principles of economy in public spending, free enterprise, and seeking dominion status within the British Empire. Smit was soon appointed the Leader of this group, which named itself the Southern Rhodesia Liberal Party. Results File:Composition of the Southern Rhodesian Legislative Assembly 1946.svg United Party 11865 13 –10 Southern Rhodesia Liberal Party 9041 12 New Rhodesia Labour Party 4583 3 –4 Southern Rhodesia Labour Party 1540 2 New Independents 424 0 0 0 188 40943 Willson By constituency Ind – Independent Lab – Rhodesia Labour Party L – Liberal Party SR Lab – Southern Rhodesia Labour Party UP – United Party ConstituencyElectorate and turnoutCandidatePartyVotesAVONDALE1,632 (75.4%)Albert Rubidge Washington StumblesL567Cecil Douglas DrydenUP488Neil Housman WilsonInd77Alexander Aitken DraperSR Lab57George Arthur Henry RadfordLab41BULAWAYO CENTRAL1,644 (63.8%)†Donald MacIntyreSR Lab353Henry Alfred HolmesUP327Mathew Henry GibsonLab242Olive Hope RobertsonL127BULAWAYO EAST1,231 (70.8%)David Wood YoungUP632Llewellyn DaviesL239BULAWAYO NORTH1,407 (61.3%)†Thomas Hugh William BeadleUP666Cecil Maurice BakerLab196BULAWAYO SOUTH1,949 (61.5%)James Stuart McNeillieLab518Malcolm Granger FlemingUP425Theodore Albert Edward HoldengardeL185Arthur Harold BeanSR Lab71CHARTER1,051 (74.8%)Jacob Letterstedt SmitL360Herbert Jordan PosseltUP304Mrs. Louise Hosea FourieLab122EASTERN1,247 (71.2%)Aubrey William DunnL490†Jacobus Petrus De KockUP398GATOOMA1,175 (62.0%)George MunroL287William George VowlesUP243Arthur Henry Edwin HaycockLab198GWANDA1,113 (67.3%)William Henry ElliottUP292George Wilburn RudlandL287Edwin HarleyLab170GWELO1,405 (70.6%)Robert WilliamsonL441†Max DanzigerUP385Harry Joseph FilmerLab166HARTLEY1,360 (68.6%)Thomas James GoldingL487†Hugh Volant WheelerUP446HIGHLANDS1,951 (75.7%)Charles Arden BottL757†Leslie Benjamin FeredayUP595Charles FindlayLab124HILLSIDE1,690 (71.0%)†Harry Herbert DaviesLab673Eric Tom HepburnUP438John Wilfred BushL88INSIZA1,165 (61.4%)Reginald Stephen Garfield ToddUP330Victor Henry van BredaLab195Guy Maxwell Foy SoutheyL190LOMAGUNDI1,128 (66.1%)Patrick Archibald WiseL374† George Henry HackwillUP372MARANDELLAS1,292 (74.0%)Leslie Major CullinanUP476William Thomas Edward FitzsimonsL340Edward Bostock HarbenSR Lab140MAZOE918 (64.4%)†Edward Walter Lionel NoaksUP360Jack Herbert KeightleyL213William Ramsay RamsaySR Lab18QUE QUE1,361 (79.9%)George Arthur DavenportUP377John Henry CremerL257Thomas NangleLab246RAYLTON1,613 (67.2%)†Lawrence John Walter KellerLab470Kenneth Mackenzie GoodenoughUP360Barend Gerhardus RetiefSR Lab183David Graham JohnstoneL71SALISBURY CENTRAL1,470 (63.5%)Leslie Manfred Noel HodsonUP438Ronald Leo ThomasL224Charles OlleyInd191†Edgar Pope VernallLab73Mrs. Agnes Tait WilsonInd7SALISBURY CITY1,683 (66.7%)†Jacob Hendrik SmitL565Robert Wynne TruscottUP352Arthur Tom NorthLab115Mrs. Gladys MaasdorpSR Lab91SALISBURY GARDENS1,408 (66.4%)Sir Ernest Lucas GuestUP472David Keith WattL390Ernest Roy WrightSR Lab39Edwin Robert Wilson MajorLab34SALISBURY NORTH1,199 (67.8%)†Godfrey Martin HugginsUP525Eric Kenneth HockeyL265David Heurtley LintonInd23SALISBURY SOUTH1,741 (65.4%)Denzil Crichton PaulL453†George Henry WalkerLab338Mrs. Muriel Ena RosinUP295Mrs. Otilia LiebermannInd52SELUKWE1,237 (68.0%)George Baden-Powell TunmerL421Egon Aage KlifborgLab232Charles William Fenton WellsUP188UMTALI NORTH1,036 (65.9%)†Tom Ian Findlay WilsonUP413Harry Thomas Fairbridge WentSR Lab129Christopher Henry PerremL96Roelof Hendrik VenterLab45UMTALI SOUTH1,181 (70.9%)†James Brown ListerSR Lab421Edgar Cuthbert Fremantle WhiteheadUP331George Cyril Hamilton-BrowneL68Hajo SpandowLab17VICTORIA1,333 (67.8%)Raymond Osborne StockilL522†William Alexander Eustace WintertonUP342John Theodore AppelLab40WANKIE1,125 (46.2%)John Alexander EwingUP200†Allan Watson WhittingtonLab197Benjamin Austen WilliamsL123WESTERN1,198 (66.1%)†Patrick Bissett FletcherUP395Frederick William SauermanL154Francis Edward John Patrick MurrayLab131Frank Richard PeachInd74Martin OldsSR Lab38 Changes during the Assembly Lomagundi On 15 July 1946 an election petition from George Henry Hackwill in relation to the Lomagundi district was allowed. As a result, Patrick Archibald Wise was unseated, and Hackwill was declared elected. Umtali North Tom Ian Findlay Wilson resigned from the Assembly in September 1946. A byelection was held to replace him on 8 November 1946. ConstituencyElectorate and turnoutCandidatePartyVotesUMTALI NORTH800 (79.3%)Edgar Cuthbert Fremantle WhiteheadUP427Christopher Henry PerremL207 Hartley Thomas James Golding died on 2 August 1947. A byelection was held in his constituency on 26 September 1947. ConstituencyElectorate and turnoutCandidatePartyVotesHARTLEY943 (49.9%)Patrick Archibald WiseL543Ralph Drew PalmerUP294 References Source Book of Parliamentary Elections and Referenda in Southern Rhodesia 1898–1962 ed. by F.M.G. Willson (Department of Government, University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Salisbury 1963) Holders of Administrative and Ministerial Office 1894–1964 by F.M.G. Willson and G.C. Passmore, assisted by Margaret T. Mitchell (Source Book No. 3, Department of Government, University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Salisbury 1966) Category:Parliamentary elections in Zimbabwe Southern Rhodesia General Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia