Special voting begins in the first democratic election

The manifesto presented the RDP and promised democratic government, equality and reconstruction after apartheid.

ANC security guards fired during an IFP march near ANC headquarters, killing marchers amid intense pre-election violence and disputed accounts.

De Klerk imposed emergency rule to curb escalating violence and protect the forthcoming election.

A last-minute agreement brought Inkatha onto the ballot, reducing the danger that KwaZulu-Natal would be excluded from the democratic vote.

A bomb near ANC offices killed at least nine people during a far-right campaign intended to disrupt the election.

For the first time, adult citizens of every racial classification voted together for a national government after centuries of colonialism and apartheid.

With about 62.6 percent of the vote, the ANC became the leading party in a Government of National Unity.

The newly elected democratic parliament chose Mandela as president, with Thabo Mbeki and F. W. de Klerk as deputy presidents.

The inauguration at the Union Buildings marked the formal end of white minority government and the creation of a Government of National Unity.