- Title: SOUTH AFRICA: ELECTION CAMPAIGN UNDER WAY.
- Date: 17th April 1970
- Summary: 1. GV ELECTION POSTERS 0.06 2. CU POSTERS FOR HERTZOG AND MARAIS 0.11 3. SV&CU POSTER CARRYING FACES OF FORMER PRIME MINISTER 0.22 4. CU POSTER FOR HELEN SUZMAN 0.24 5. SV POSTERS FOR BOSWELL AND DE VILLIERS GRAAF 0.29 6. GTV PAN PARTY MEETING AT HERSTIGTE 0.34 7. SV ORGANISERS SELLING AFRIKANA (BANNED BY VORSTER) 0.41
- Embargoed: 2nd May 1970 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA
- Country: South Africa
- Reuters ID: LVA9I0CL31U2PWJG6LPRQ6GUGDW7
- Story Text: THE SOUTH AFRICAN GENERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN ENTERS ITS FINAL PHASE THIS WEEK AND FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE IT TOOK POWER 22 YEARS AGO, DR. VORSTER'S NATIONALIST PARTY IS BEING SERIOUSLY CHALLENGED.
THE MAIN OPPOSITION TO ITS RULE IS THE AFRIKANER BREAK-AWAY RECONSTITUTED NATIONAL PARTY - THE H.N.P. LED BY ULTRA-NATIONALIST DR. ALBERT HERTZOG AND HIS DEPUTY MR. JAAP MARAIS. THESE MEN WERE EXPELLED FROM DR. VORSTER'S PARTY LAST YEAR FOR THEIR ALLEGEDLY EXTREMIST VIEWS AND ARE NOW CONTESTING ABOUT HALF THE 169 SEATS AT STAKE.
THE ONLY OTHER OPPOSITION COMES FROM MRS. SUZMAN'S TINY PROGRESSIVE PARTY, OF WHICH SHE IS THE ONLY ELECTED REPRESENTATIVE, AND SIR DE VILLIER GRAAF'S UNITED PARTY ONCE THE RULING PARTY OF SOUTH AFRICA.
DR. HERTZOG'S GROUP WANTS TO MAKE APARTHEID EVEN MORE INFLEXIBLE THAN IT IS NOW AND TO MAKE AFRIKANS THE ONLY OFFICIAL LANGUAGE OF THE COUNTRY. AT PRESENT BOTH ENGLISH AND AFRIKANS HAVE EQUAL STATUS.
THE H.N.P. IS LIKELY TO CAUSE AN IMPORTANT SPLIT IN THE AFRIKANER VOTE AND THIS MAY MEAN A CAIN OF SEVERAL SEATS TO THE UNITED PARTY. IN THE MEANTIME, DR. HERTZOG IS BUSY CAMPAIGNING UP AND DOWN THE COUNTRY IN THE HOPE THAT HIS PARTY MAY SEVERELY SHAKE THE RULING POSITION OF DR. VORSTER'S GOVERNMENT VOTING WILL BE ON APRIL 22.
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