S. AFRICAN ELECTION VICTORY CERTAIN FOR VERWOERD

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31023, 31 March 1966, Page 13

S. AFRICAN ELECTION VICTORY CERTAIN FOR VERWOERD

CN.Z P.A. Reuter—Copyright) JOHANNESBURG, March 30. White South Africans go to the polls today after an election campaign that leaves no doubt about the return to power of Dr. Hendrik Verwoerd’s ruling National Party.

He is considered certain to win—and main interest centres round the party’s likely gains from the main Opposition party, the United Party.

Only 19 candidates—l 7 from the National Party and two from the United Party—have been returned unopposed. In the 1961 election for the old 156-seat Parliament', the ruling party held 106 seats, the United Party 49 and the multi-racial Progressive Party one

The National Party, encouraged by a so-called swing to the Right in South Africa, is confident of winning at least 120 seats and has high hopes of gaining another 10.

The United Party will be more than satisfied if it can win 50 seats. MAIN ISSUE

The main issue of the campaign has been the race problem, although the Republic’s four-to-one African majority has no vote.

The United Party has concentrated on attacking the Government’s apartheid policy claiming that the eight independent African territories—Bantustans—it envis-

ages, would be a serious threat to the white South Africa. The National Party has warned that the United Party policy of race federation under white control with limited political representation for Africans must, on practical and moral grounds, lead to an <

eventual take-over by the African majority. The Progressive Party opposes both the main parties’ policies as immoral and stands for a policy of nondiscrimination and a qualified franchise based on merit —not one-man, one vote.