National Party of South-West Africa

National Party of South-West Africa
Nasionale Party van Suidwes-Afrika
Nationale Partij van Zuidwest-Afrika
Nationale Partei von Südwestafrika
Founded 1924
1939
Dissolved 1927
1991
Merged into United National South West Party
Succeeded by Monitor Action Group
Headquarters South-West Africa
Ideology Apartheid
Social conservatism
White minority rule
South African rule in Namibia
Political position Right-wing to Far-right
Slogan South Africa First[1]
Namibia
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Namibia

The National Party of South-West Africa (Afrikaans: Nasionale Party van Suidwes-Afrika, Dutch: Nationale Partij van Zuidwest-Afrika, German: Nationale Partei von Südwestafrika) was a political party in South-West Africa.

History

The party was originally established in Mariental by Frikke Jooste in July 1924.[1] It won two seats in the 1926 legislative elections, which saw the German League win eight of the twelve elected seats.[2] On 31 January 1927 it merged with the South West Party, which had won one seat in the elections,[2] to form the United National South West Party (UNSWP).[3]

The National Party was re-established as a separate party in 1939, winning two seats in the 1940 elections, which saw the UNSWP win the remaining ten.[2] It subsequently lost both seats in 1945, with the UNSWP winning all twelve.[4] However, with its South African counterpart coming to power in 1948, the National Party also came to prominence in South-West Africa, going on to win fifteen of the eighteen seats in the 1950 elections.[4]

Thereafter the National Party dominated South-West African politics, winning sixteen seats in the 1955 and 1961 elections and all eighteen in 1965. It subsequently won every seat in elections in 1970 and 1974.

A party congress in September 1977 saw a walkout of 80 moderate members led by Dirk Mudge, with Mudge forming the Republican Party on 5 October.[1] Prior to the elections the following year, the National Party formed a multi-racial, Action Front for the Retention of Turnhalle Principles (ACTUR). However, it received only 12% of the vote, winning six seats to the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance's 41.

In 1980 a Second Tier Representative Authority was created for the white community. The National Party went on to dominate the body until its dissolution in 1989.[1] It was part of the Action Christian National alliance alongside the German League for the 1989 elections,[5] with the alliance winning three seats. In 1991 the party was disbanded, with party leader Kosie Pretorius forming the Monitor Action Group.[6]

Leaders

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Victor L. Tonchi, William A. Lindeke & John J. Grotpeter (2012) Historical Dictionary of Namibia, Scarecrow Press, pp289–290
  2. 1 2 3 Zedekia Ngavirue (1997) Political parties and interest groups in South West Africa (Namibia), P Schelttwein Publishing, p301 ISBN 3-908193-00-1
  3. ↑ Tonchi et al., p433
  4. 1 2 Ngavirue, p302
  5. ↑ Namibia: Unregistered and defunct parties EISA
  6. ↑ Namibia's Former White Rulers Change Political Strategy Christian Science Monitor, 24 September 1991
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