1965 Rhodesian general election
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All 65 seats in the Legislative Assembly 33 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Composition of the Legislative Assembly after the election | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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General elections were held in Rhodesia, renamed the year before from Southern Rhodesia, on 7 May 1965. The results was a victory for the ruling Rhodesian Front, which won 50 of the 65 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Rhodesia. Later in the year, the government made a unilateral declaration of independence (UDI).
Electoral system
[edit]The election was held using two electoral rolls, an A roll, which was largely white (95,208 whites and 2,256 black Africans)[1][2] and a B roll, which was largely African. Although both rolls could vote for all 65 seats, A roll votes were given higher weighting for the 50 constituency seats, and B roll votes higher weighting for the 15 district seats.
Campaign
[edit]Two parties contested the elections; the Rhodesian Front ran in all 50 constituency seats (in 22 of which it was unopposed) but no district seats. The Rhodesia Party ran in both the constituency and district seats.[1]
Results
[edit]Party | Constituency | District | Total seats |
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A roll | B roll | Seats | A roll | B roll | Seats | ||||||||||
Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | ||||||||
Rhodesian Front | 28,175 | 79.32 | 206 | 28.61 | 50 | 50 | 15 | ||||||||
Rhodesia Party | 6,381 | 17.96 | 505 | 70.14 | 0 | 12,936 | 42.13 | 754 | 52.25 | 10 | 10 | New | |||
Independents | 964 | 2.71 | 4 | 0.56 | 0 | 17,770 | 57.87 | 689 | 47.75 | 5 | 5 | 4 | |||
Total | 35,520 | 100.00 | 720 | 100.00 | 50 | 30,706 | 100.00 | 1,443 | 100.00 | 15 | 65 | 0 | |||
Valid votes | 35,520 | 98.86 | 720 | 82.10 | 30,706 | 86.98 | 1,443 | 88.20 | |||||||
Invalid/blank votes | 411 | 1.14 | 157 | 17.90 | 4,595 | 13.02 | 193 | 11.80 | |||||||
Total votes | 35,931 | 100.00 | 877 | 100.00 | 35,301 | 100.00 | 1,636 | 100.00 | |||||||
Registered voters/turnout | 97,284 | 36.9 | 11,577 | 7.5 | 97,284 | 36.2 | 11,577 | 14.0 | |||||||
Source: Sternberger et al.[1] |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Dolf Sternberger, Bernhard Vogel, Dieter Nohlen & Klaus Landfried (1978) Die Wahl der Parlamente: Band II: Afrika, Zweiter Halbband, p1678
- ^ 7 May 1965 House of Assembly Election African Elections Database