1966 South African general election

1966 South African general election

← 1961 30 March 1966 1970 →
All 166 general roll seats in the House of Assembly 84 seats needed for a majority
Registered	1,901,479
Turnout	68.48% ( 23.93pp)
First party Second party Third party   Leader H. F. Verwoerd De Villiers Graaff Jan Steytler Party National United Progressive Last election 46.44%, 105 seats 35.28%, 49 seats 8.66%, 1 seat Seats won 126 39 1 Seat change 21 10 0 Popular vote 759,331 476,815 39,717 Percentage 58.31% 36.62% 3.05% Swing 11.87pp 1.34pp 5.61pp
Results by province
Prime Minister before election H. F. Verwoerd National Elected Prime Minister H. F. Verwoerd National

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General elections were held in South Africa on 30 March 1966. The result was another comprehensive victory for the National Party under H. F. Verwoerd.

The election marked a major strengthening of power for the ruling NP, which gained a two-thirds majority in parliament for the first time. The main opposition United Party slightly increased its share of the popular vote, but nevertheless saw its parliamentary representation considerably reduced.

The number of House of Assembly seats for White voters in South Africa had been increased from 150 to 160 by the Constitution Amendment Act of 1965. In addition, there were six seats for White voters from South-West Africa (now Namibia). There were also four seats reserved for Coloured representatives, who did not have to stand for re-election during 1966.

On 6 September, several months after the election, Prime Minister Verwoerd was assassinated.