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Events on Wednesday 26 May 1948 1
1948National Party wins South African electionVictory brings formal introduction of apartheid policyThe National Party, led by D. F. Malan, won the South African general election on May 26, 1948, defeating Jan Smuts on a platform of racial segregation. The new government began codifying apartheid into law soon after taking office, formalizing and extending existing racial discrimination. The system of legally enforced segregation would remain in place until the early 1990s.