Frederik de Klerk Biographie. South African politician. He studied law at the University of his hometown, where he later worked as a teacher. In 1972 he dropped out of the University to devote himself totally to politics.
Summary OF Frederik de Klerk Biographie.
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- 1 Political career
- 1 1972-1989
- 2 1990-1992
- 3 1994-1996
- 2 Sources
Political career
1972-1989
In 1972, the National Party elected him a member of Parliament, later holding a series of government posts from 1978 to 1989 . When Pieter Willem Botha resigned from his post as the country’s president in August 1989 , he was elected to the presidency.
1990-1992
In 1990 it lifted the existing ban on the African National Congress (ANC), South Africa’s black nationalist group, and on other opposition parties. He ordered the release of some political prisoners, including ANC leader Nelson Mandela. Under the leadership of this figure, the government abolished the last laws that created the legal basis for apartheid in 1992 . Some months later, more than two-thirds of voters in a white-only referendum supported his policy of negotiating a new constitution to increase the political rights of blacks. In 1993 he was awarded, along with Nelson Mandela, the Nobel Peace Prize.
1994-1996
In 1994 the country’s first elections were held in which blacks could vote. In May he recognized the electoral victory of Mandela, who became the first black president of South Africa. In 1995, Mandela granted him the position of director of the Defense Committee and of the secret services. Following the approval of the new South African Constitution in May 1996 , he announced his withdrawal from the national union government.
