Editorial Note
The general election, held in the Union of South Africa on April 15, 1953, brought a decisive victory for Dr. Malan’s National Party, which more than doubled its overall Parliamentary majority. This general election, the first since the National Party had gained power in the election of 1948, in effect constituted a popular endorsement of the apartheid legislation adopted by the Malan government during the past 5 years. The Embassy in Pretoria reported that the National Party had run on the issues of apartheid, white supremacy “strong government”, Parliamentary sovereignty, and anti-Communism and that the Nationalists interpreted their victory as indicating a clear popular “mandate” to carry out their legislative program. Shortly after the election, Dr. Malan noted that the National Party was only 12 to 13 votes short of the two-thirds majority in Parliament needed [Page 995] to establish Parliamentary supremacy over the South African courts and to remove the Colored voters from the common voting roll. (Despatch 484 from Pretoria, April 27, 1953; 745A.00/4–2753)