South African political party, AKA "
Nationalists" NP or "Nats", representing
Afrikaaner,
conservative and
rural interests. These are the people who brought us
Apartheid. In power from
1948 until
1994.
National party Prime Ministers were, in order:
H. F. Verwoerd ruled from 1945 until he was assasinated in 1966 by Dimitri Tsafendas.
B. J. Vorster Ruled until 1978
P. W. Botha Stepped down due to a stoke in 1989
F.W. de Klerk ruled until the elections in April 1994 that brought the ANC under Nelson Mandela to power.
In 2001 it was been renamed the "New National Party", but some stains don't wash off easily. It is now an opposition party, and is a spent political force under the leadership of the young Marthinus van Schalkwyk, who is often known by the cruel nickname of kortbroek, i.e. "short trousers" due to his relative youth and inexperience.
The party disolved in 2004 after a poor showing in elections of that year.