Mandela Elected: Apartheid Ends, South Africa Reborn
South Africa's newly elected parliament unanimously chose Nelson Mandela as president on May 9, 1994, completing the transition from apartheid to multiracial democracy. Mandela had been released from prison just four years earlier after 27 years of imprisonment, 18 of them on Robben Island. His inauguration at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on May 10 was attended by heads of state from around the world, including those whose governments had previously maintained close ties with the apartheid regime. Mandela's decision to pursue reconciliation rather than retribution through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, became a global model for transitional justice. He served one term and voluntarily stepped down in 1999, a rarity among African leaders.
May 9, 1994
32 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on May 9
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