1977 Rhodesian general election

Last updated

1977 Rhodesian general election
Flag of Rhodesia (1968-1979).svg
  1974 31 August 1977 1979  

All 66 seats in the House of Assembly
34 seats needed for a majority
 First party
  Ian Smith 1975.jpg
Leader Ian Smith
Party RF
Leader's seatUmzingwane
Last election50
Seats won50
Seat changeSteady2.svg
Popular vote57,348
Percentage85.36%
(European)
SwingIncrease2.svg7.38pp

1977 Rhodesian general election results.svg
Composition of the House of Assembly after the election

Prime Minister before election

Ian Smith
RF

Elected Prime Minister

Ian Smith
RF

General elections were held in Rhodesia on 31 August 1977, [1] [2] [3] the last general election in the country dominated by the white minority. Prime Minister Ian Smith, who was conducting negotiations with moderate African nationalists, was forced into an early election by the defection of twelve MPs from his Rhodesian Front party, which denied him the two-thirds majority of the House of Assembly needed to change the constitution. In the event, the Front overwhelmed the breakaway Rhodesian Action Party and all other forces, once again winning every single seat in the 50 seats elected by those of European descent.

Contents

Electoral system

The electorate of Rhodesia returned 66 members of the House of Assembly of Rhodesia, in three different classes of seat:

Both European and African rolls had a range of property qualifications. No change to boundaries or the qualification of voters was made compared to the 1974 election.

Results

PartyEuropean rollAfrican rollTotal
seats
+/–
Votes%SeatsVotes%Seats
Rhodesian Front 57,34885.3650500
Rhodesian Action Party 6,2249.2600New
National Unifying Force3,0024.4700–1
Independents6120.910470100.0088+7
Tribal representatives80
Total67,186100.0050470100.008660
Registered voters/turnout83,8252,604

European roll seats

Constituency
Electorate and turnout
CandidatePartyVotes%
ARUNDEL
2,503 (83.6%)
Archibald Oliver Garfield Wilson RF1,61377.1
Anthony WarnerNUF25612.2
Gideon TredouxRAP22310.7
AVONDALE
2,068 (78.8%)
Brian Stringer RF1,41286.7
Colin Eric Barlow RAP21713.3
BELLEVUE
2,366 (81.9%)
Wallace Evelyn Stuttaford RF1,79792.8
Carel David TheronRAP1407.2
BELVEDERE
1,944 (79.5%)
Dennis Divaris RF1,24780.6
Randolph Harold ClarkNUF19612.7
Ernest Roy WrightRAP1036.7
BORROWDALE
2,900 (81.5%)
Douglas Hamilton Ritchie RF1,75974.4
Lance Halford ReynoldsNUF35415.0
Robert SuttonRAP23810.1
Mrs. Wendy Ann TruenInd120.5
BRAESIDE
1,576 (81.3%)
Richard Cartwright RF1,14389.2
Trevor Bryan Charles HardingRAP13910.8
BULAWAYO CENTRAL
1,243 (76.5%)
Denys Sinclair Parkin RF67971.4
Ewen Cardno GreenfieldNUF23624.8
Brewster Bryan WhyteRAP363.8
BULAWAYO DISTRICT
1,705 (75.1%)
Alexander Moseley RF1,20093.8
Samuel James ShannonRAP806.2
BULAWAYO EAST
2,195 (76.9%)
Charles McKenzie Scott RF1,31577.8
Arthur Moses KaplanNUF29517.5
Alexander Argyll McCallumRAP794.7
BULAWAYO NORTH
1,780 (77.9%)
Wilfrid Denis Walker RF1,28292.4
Thomas Hayward PannellRAP1057.6
BULAWAYO SOUTH
1,059 (69.5%)
George Desmond Chalmers RF70195.2
Ian Norman BerryRAP354.8
CHARTER
1,491 (76.1%)
Rowan Cronjé RF1,02390.2
Leonard George IdensohnInd1119.8
EASTERN
1,319 (81.3%)
Andre Dallein Wassennaar RF83377.7
John Hamilton WrightRAP23922.3
GATOOMA
1,421 (84.0%)
Albert Gannaway Mells RF1,09491.6
James WheelerRAP1008.4
GREENDALE
2,168 (84.2%)
Mark Henry Heathcote Partridge RF1,44879.3
Eric Reginald SchofieldRAP23512.9
Simon Dennis WhinneyNUF1427.8
GWEBI
1,319 (83.7%)
Bertram Ankers RF76469.2
Thomas Ian Fraser Sandeman RAP20718.8
George Alfred PioInd13312.0
GWELO
1,308 (80.1%)
Roger Hawkins RF97593.1
Michael Patrick John HugginsRAP555.2
David Timothy Torbet FrostInd181.7
HARTLEY
2,254 (80.8%)
P. K. van der Byl RF1,60488.0
Jacobus Ignatius de WetRAP21812.0
HATFIELD
1,816 (84.8%)
Frederick Roy Simmonds RF1,30384.6
Edward Aylett Sutton-PryceRAP19712.8
Neville Ronald Arthur SkeatesNUF402.6
HIGHLANDS NORTH
1,860 (83.2%)
Fergus Blackie RF1,08269.9
Allan Savory NUF31820.6
Marie Joseph Claude de Chasteigner Dumée-DuvalRAP1479.5
HIGHLANDS SOUTH
1,960 (84.4%)
John Christie RF1,26676.5
Richard Hope Hall RAP23013.9
David Frank SutherlandNUF1589.6
HILLCREST
1,703 (84.9%)
James Patrick Thrush RF1,33192.0
Edwin Stanley O'ConnorRAP1158.0
HILLSIDE
1,876 (81.3%)
William Redpath Kinleyside RF1,38290.6
Owen Victor ParvessRAP1439.4
JAMESON
1,704 (82.7%)
Robert James Gaunt RF1,24288.1
John Peter Broberg Nilson RAP16711.9
KAROI
1,260 (76.0%)
Jan Jacobus Buitendag RF86190.0
Donovan Hilgard ErasmusNUF9610.0
MABELREIGN
1,966 (82.1%)
John Cornelius Gleig RF1,42087.9
Adrian Thomas WymerRAP19512.1
MARANDELLAS
1,501 (83.7%)
David Colville Smith RF1,08686.4
William John Raymond PrattRAP17113.6
MARLBOROUGH
2,211 (82.6%)
William Michie Irvine RF1,47780.9
John Frederick HandfordRAP18810.3
Ivor Cordner McCormickNUF1618.8
MATOBO
1,680 (84.1%)
Donald Galbraith Goddard RF1,26289.3
Robert Henry Warren McGee RAP15110.7
MAZOE
1,652 (80.4%)
George Rollo Hayman RF1,18489.1
Robin Elliot Campbell-LoganRAP14510.9
MIDLANDS
1,264 (79.7%)
Henry Swan Elsworth RF90389.7
Kennith HahnRAP10410.3
MILTON PARK
1,703 (81.3%)
John Alfred Landau RF1,17184.6
Ratilal Damodard DevchandNUF1168.4
Peter Michael NurstenRAP977.0
MOUNT PLEASANT
1,938 (73.0%)
Jonas Christian Andersen RF1,29591.5
Julian Richard HawRAP1208.5
MTOKO
1,752 (80.6%)
Stanley Norman Eastwood RF1,04473.9
Rodney Guy Swayne Simmonds RAP18713.3
Diana Mitchell NUF18112.8
QUEEN'S PARK
1,521 (83.5%)
Arthur Denis Crook RF1,18993.6
Bazil Geoffrey de LormeRAP816.4
QUE QUE
1,731 (83.3%)
Jacobus Johannes Burger RF1,26587.7
William Gerald KaschulaRAP906.2
William Harris KeysNUF876.1
RAYLTON
1,922 (76.0%)
Patrick Francis Shields RF1,38594.8
Norman John WesternRAP765.2
RUSAPE
1,344 (78.1%)
Jacobus Phillipus du Plessis RF93489.0
Gerhardus Paulus Johannes SwartRAP11611.0
SALISBURY CENTRAL
1,245 (74.6%)
Hilary Squires RF77883.7
Raymond StallwoodRAP768.2
Mrs. Eileen Penny BrownNUF758.1
SALISBURY CITY
1,392 (75.5%)
Ivor Pitch RF68164.8
Ahrn Palley Ind33331.7
Anthony Charles Edward ScraceRAP323.0
Leslie Thomas HayesInd50.5
SALISBURY NORTH
1,613 (79.9%)
André Sothern Holland RF1,06382.5
Eric David Drought SymeNUF13510.5
Mark Fraser McLeanRAP907.0
SELUKWE
1,812 (80.8%)
John Morris Lowenthal RF1,33090.8
Anthony William BaumannRAP1359.2
SHABANI
1,219 (76.5%)
Theunis Christian de Klerk RF87293.6
Johannes Jacobus HulleyRAP606.4
SINOIA/UMVUKWES
1,535 (75.8%)
Esmond Meryl Micklem RF1,08593.3
Roland Oliver DavisNUF786.7
UMTALI EAST
1,588 (78.7%)
Bernard Horace Mussett RF1,12289.8
Mrs. Vera Aileen WinterRAP12710.2
UMTALI WEST
1,426 (81.0%)
Desmond Butler RF98385.1
Robert Traill GalvinRAP948.1
John Oswald MeikleNUF786.8
UMZINGWANE
1,726
Ian Douglas Smith RFunopposed
VICTORIA
2,071 (78.9%)
Ormonde Corrington George RF1,40886.2
Gordon Richard Olds RAP22613.8
WANKIE
1,425 (75.1%)
Donald Goldin RF97791.3
William Ernest McNeirRAP938.7
WATERFALLS
1,516 (79.2%)
Albertus Herman du Toit RF1,07889.8
John Duncan OliverRAP12210.2

African seats

Constituency
Electorate and turnout
CandidatePartyVotes%
HARARE
1,210 (21.1%)
Ronnie Sadomba Ind14757.6
Tiriwanhu MudzimuInd8332.6
David MunyamanaInd155.9
Milton Jack MakayaInd103.9
INSUKAMINI
514 (21.8%)
John Zachary Maposa Ind8676.8
Edward Gabriel WatungwaInd2623.2
KUNYASI
1,651
Thomas Tavagwisa Zawaira Indunopposed
MABVAZUWA
1,001
Elijah Smile Gende Magavan Nyandoro Indunopposed
MATOJENI
852
Lot Enoch Dewa Indunopposed
MPOPOMA
434
Lwazi Joel Mahlangu Indunopposed
NEMAKONDE
880 (11.7%)
William Benjamin Chimpaka Ind7774.8
Fanuel MarutaInd2625.2
NTSHONALANGA
836
Micah Mahamba Bhebe Indunopposed

Tribal seats

Subsequent by-elections

Pagati

Fani Mlingo died on 15 February 1978. On 31 March 1978, Joseph Jumo Bheka was returned unopposed to replace him. Bheka was a supporter of Bishop Abel Muzorewa.

Lowveld

Simeon Chengeta died on 19 March 1978. On 19 July 1978, a by-election was held in Lowveld. John Adonia Hungwe defeated Simon Dzichaperanhamo Bhene.

Highlands North

A by-election was held in the Highlands North constituency on 21 July 1978 to replace Fergus Blackie, who had been appointed as a Judge and resigned on 15 May 1978. This by-election occurred after the internal settlement agreement, and the Rhodesian Front candidate was therefore opposed not only by the National Unifying Force (pressing for a full settlement with African nationalists) but by two right-wing candidates opposed to any deals: the Rhodesian Action Party and the Rhodesian Conservative Alliance.

ConstituencyCandidatePartyVotes%
HIGHLANDS NORTH Reginald Reed Beaver RF54549.1
Clifford Allan Redin Savory NUF35431.9
Marie Joseph Claude de Chasteigner Dumée-DuvalRAP15814.2
Noel Allison HuntRCA524.7

Gwelo

Roger Hawkins resigned from the Assembly due to ill health on 30 November 1978, leading to a by-election in Gwelo on 30 January 1979.

ConstituencyCandidatePartyVotes%
GWELO Trevor Duncan Dollar RF76284.7
Reginald James McLeanRAP13815.3

Mazoe

George Rollo Hayman resigned on 27 December 1978, claiming that the power-sharing government could easily fall under the control of a terrorist group. He then resigned from the Assembly to seek re-election. This by-election, held on 6 February 1979, was the last election conducted before the advent of the new constitution.

ConstituencyCandidatePartyVotes%
MAZOE Cecil Millar RF61178.7
George Rollo HaymanInd16521.3

Vacancy at dissolution

Donald Goldin (Wankie) died on 12 February 1979. The seat was not filled before Parliament was dissolved.

References

  1. 31 August 1977 House of Assembly Election African Elections Database
  2. John F. Burns (28 August 1977). "White Rhodesia, Its Time Running Out, Is Set to Vote". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  3. John F. Burns (1 September 1977). "SMITH'S PARTY WINS RESOUNDING VICTORY IN RHODESIAN VOTING". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 June 2020.