When was fw de klerk elected president

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Last updated: April 17, 2026

Quick Answer: F.W. de Klerk was elected State President of South Africa on September 14, 1989, by the country's Parliament following the resignation of P.W. Botha. He officially assumed office the same day, marking the beginning of a pivotal era in South African history.

Key Facts

F.W. de Klerk was elected president on September 14, 1989.
He succeeded P.W. Botha, who resigned due to health and political pressures.
De Klerk was elected by the Tricameral Parliament under apartheid-era rules.
He served as the last president of apartheid-era South Africa until 1994.
In 1993, de Klerk shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Nelson Mandela.

Overview

F.W. de Klerk became the State President of South Africa on September 14, 1989, following the unexpected resignation of his predecessor, P.W. Botha. His ascension marked a turning point in the nation’s history, as de Klerk quickly moved away from hardline apartheid policies toward reform and negotiation.

Though elected under the apartheid system, de Klerk’s presidency is best known for dismantling institutionalized racial segregation. His leadership paved the way for South Africa’s first democratic elections in 1994, ending decades of white minority rule.

September 14, 1989 is the official date F.W. de Klerk was elected president by the South African Parliament, succeeding P.W. Botha.
He was chosen by the Tricameral Parliament, a racially segregated legislature that excluded the Black majority from national representation.
De Klerk’s election followed internal National Party struggles and growing unrest, prompting the party to seek a more pragmatic leader.
He initially maintained conservative rhetoric but soon surprised the world by announcing sweeping reforms in February 1990.
His presidency culminated in the 1994 democratic elections, where Nelson Mandela became president, ending apartheid rule.

How It Works

The process by which F.W. de Klerk became president was rooted in South Africa’s apartheid-era constitutional structure, which centralized executive power within a parliamentary framework dominated by the white minority.

Term: The State President was elected by Parliament, not by popular vote, under the 1983 Constitution. This role combined head of state and head of government duties until 1989.
The president served a term at the pleasure of the ruling National Party, with no fixed term limits under the parliamentary system.
De Klerk won the leadership of the National Party on February 2, 1989, positioning him to succeed Botha when he stepped down months later.
The parliamentary vote on September 14, 1989 confirmed de Klerk as State President, a largely ceremonial formality given National Party dominance.
His administration operated under a Tricameral Parliament, which included separate chambers for whites, Coloureds, and Indians, but excluded Black South Africans.
De Klerk’s executive authority allowed him to unilaterally release Nelson Mandela and lift the ban on the ANC in February 1990, reshaping South Africa’s future.

Comparison at a Glance

Below is a comparison of South African leadership before and after de Klerk’s presidency, highlighting key transitions in governance and policy.

Leader	Term Start	System	Major Actions	Transition Outcome
P.W. Botha	1978	Apartheid State President	Enforced security crackdowns, limited reforms	Resigned amid party dissent
F.W. de Klerk	1989	Apartheid executive	Ended bans on ANC, released Mandela, negotiated democracy	Peaceful transition to majority rule
Nelson Mandela	1994	Democratic president	Established Truth Commission, promoted reconciliation	First multiracial elections
Thabo Mbeki	1999	Democratic	Advanced economic reforms, continental diplomacy	Second post-apartheid president
Jacob Zuma	2009	Democratic	Expanded social grants, faced corruption allegations	Controversial tenure, later legal issues

This table illustrates how de Klerk’s presidency served as a bridge between authoritarian rule and democratic governance. While his predecessors entrenched apartheid, and successors governed democratically, de Klerk’s term was unique in its transformative policy shifts.

Why It Matters

Understanding when and how F.W. de Klerk became president is crucial to grasping the end of apartheid and the peaceful transition to democracy in South Africa. His leadership, though controversial, played a decisive role in ending institutionalized racism.

De Klerk’s election in 1989 marked the beginning of official negotiations to end apartheid, reversing decades of National Party policy.
His decision to release Nelson Mandela in February 1990 signaled a dramatic shift in South Africa’s political trajectory.
The 1993 Nobel Peace Prize, shared with Mandela, recognized their joint efforts in avoiding civil war through negotiation.
De Klerk’s reforms enabled the 1994 democratic elections, where over 20 million people voted for the first time.
Despite criticism for past support of apartheid, his presidency remains pivotal in South Africa’s constitutional transformation.
His legacy underscores how leadership changes within authoritarian systems can lead to unexpected democratic openings.

Ultimately, de Klerk’s election was not just a routine political succession—it was the catalyst for one of the 20th century’s most significant peaceful political transitions.