The South African Elections of 1994: The Remaking of Dominant-Party State

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Periodical article

Title:	The South African Elections of 1994: The Remaking of Dominant-Party State
Author:	Southall, Roger J.
Year:	1994
Periodical:	Journal of Modern African Studies
Volume:	32
Issue:	4
Pages:	629-655
Language:	English
Geographic term:	South Africa
Subjects:	elections 1994 African National Congress (South Africa) Politics and Government
External link:	https://www.jstor.org/stable/161567
Abstract:	The focus of this article is on an aspect of South Africa's 1994 elections which has not been extensively commented upon: that is, just as the National Party monopolized and manipulated political institutions following its electoral victory in 1948, so the 1994 elections have provided a base for the reconstitution of South Africa as a dominant-party State. The article deals with the negotiation of the transition in South Africa, the framework and outcome of the elections, the ANC as the electorally dominant party at the national level, and ANC dominance and national-provincial relations. It argues that in the remaking of South Africa as a dominant-party State lies the danger of a new authoritarianism. Yet there is also in that situation ground for much hope, not only because the ANC's very dominance may render it willing to accept challenges as lawful rather than as threats to its existence, but also because the immediate outcome of the transition process has been beneficent. Notes, ref.