Conservative party of South Africa

The Conservative party of South Africa (Conservative Party - CP or Konserwatiewe Party van Suid-Afrika) was born the March 20th 1982 from a scission from the right wing from the national Parti (NP) with the capacity. It dissolved in 2003 after being molten in the Front of freedom.

Its founder, Andries Treurnicht opposed the reforms of the Prime Minister Pieter Botha.

Foundation of the conservative party (1982)

The CP was founded to ensure the safeguarding of the Apartheid. It fails to rejoin small HNP, refusing to integrate in its program the imposition of the Afrikaans like single official language and the repatriation of the Indians.

It however receives at the time of its foundation the support old dignitaries of NP in rupture of bench like the former president John Vorster, the former ministers Jimmy Kruger or Connie Mulder.

Laying out at the Parliament of 22 deputies having broken with NP, the CP tries to give a political expression to the various existing movements of extreme right-hand side including radical AWB of Eugene Terreblanche.

Political ascendance (1987-1992)

In 1987, the CP gains the envied title of official opposition at the Parliament at the time of the general elections.

With the local elections of 1988, the CP gains 60 of the 110 municipalities of the Transvaal and 1 municipality out of 4 in the free State of Orange, lack little victory in Pretoria.

In 1989, with 39 deputies and 33% of the votes, the CP reaches its apogee. It collects 43% of the vote afrikaner and 7,5% of the anglophone vote.

Dismantling in the course of apartheid by the president Frederik De Klerk will multiply by ten the demonstrations of force of the partisans of the CP. In 1990, they join together more than 150.000 people in Voortrekker Monument of Pretoria for the defense of the identity afrikaner and the maintenance of the white domination.

The bys-election are unhoped-for real successes in the old bastions of NP that it is in Uitenhage, the Cape Province but especially Potchefstroom, in Transvaal, true indicating of the reports/ratios of the political clouts in the country.

Driven back, De Klerk is obliged to find a political solution to dam up the rise to power of the CP within the white electorate. He organizes a referendum on the continuation of the constitutional negotiations, federating on “Yes” the voters of the NP and the liberal opposition of the Democratic party against the partisans of “Not” who they are with the CP or the HNP.

In March 1992, the CP undergoes its first and more crucial defeat. “Yes” carries more than 68% of the voices. “Not” carried it only in the area of North Transvaal (Pietersburg). Even the strongholds of Transvaal and Orange were lacking with the CP. In Kroonstad, preserving bastion, “yes” carried it to 52%.

The CP will not be concerned this defeat. It even obliges it to integrate the negotiation process.

The ultimate combat (1993-1994)

In April 1993, the charismatic chief of the CP, Andries Treurnicht dies. It is replaced then by the tern Ferdinand Hartzenberg. This last to try conféder the CP with preserving black movements like the Zulu Inkhata in an Alliance of Freedoms.

This last is entered tears at the beginning of year 1994 between those wishing to take part finally in the elections and those refusing there. The CP chooses nonthe participation whereas Constand Viljoen in extremis chooses to take part in the 1st multiracial elections under the colors of sound very new party, the Front of freedom (FF).

The twilight of the CP (1994-2003)

Whereas the FF is found with 9 deputies in the new assembly, the CP does not lay out any more a any national elected official and is rolled then with the local elections.

From 1996, the CP is nothing any more but one empty shell. Its representatives chose to withdraw political life or to join the FF of Viljoen, to even create one énième emanation of the extreme-right-hand side afrikaner.

In October 2003, Hartzenberg melts the remainders of the CP in the face of freedom, renamed FF+, which will obtain 4 deputies (+ 1) at the time of the general elections of 2004.

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