1893 South Australian colonial election

1893 South Australian colonial election

← 1890 15 April 1893 (1893-04-15) 1896 →
All 54 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly 28 seats were needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   Leader Charles Kingston John Downer John McPherson Party Liberal Conservative United Labor Leader since 1893 1893 1892 Leader's seat Torrens Barossa East Adelaide Seats won 23 21 10 Percentage 30.74 21.87 18.77
Premier before election John Downer Conservative Elected Premier Charles Kingston Liberal

The 1893 South Australian colonial election was held on 15 April 1893 to elect all 54 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly.^[1]

Following the 1890 election, the Cockburn government lost a no-confidence motion moved by Thomas Playford II, who formed a government which lasted nearly two years. He was replaced by an equally progressive leader in Frederick Holder, but his ministry was defeated by the very conservative John Downer, who took the parliament into the election.

The incumbent conservative government led by Premier of South Australia John Downer was defeated by the liberal opposition led by Charles Kingston, with the support of the United Labor Party (ULP) led by John McPherson who formed an informal coalition. Each district elected multiple members, with voters casting multiple votes. This was the first election in which parties and increasingly solid groupings were formed.