1979 South African presidential election

← 1978 19 June 1979 (1979-06-19) 1984 →
Turnout	88.64%
Nominee Marais Viljoen De Villiers Graaff Guerino Bozzoli Party National New Republic Progressive Electoral vote 155 23 17 Percentage 79.49% 11.79% 8.72%
Results of the election. Viljoen (orange) received 155 votes while Graaf received 23 and Bozzoli 17.
State President before election Marais Viljoen (Acting) National Elected State President Marais Viljoen National

The1979 South African presidential election pitted the President of theSouth African SenateMarais Viljoen, backed by the rulingNational Party, against the formerUnited Party leaderDe Villiers Graaff, backed by theNew Republic Party, and the Deputy Chancellor of theUniversity of the Witwatersrand, Guerino Bozzoli, supported by theProgressive Federal Party. In accordance with theSouth African Constitution of 1961, theState President, a largely ceremonial post, was elected by a joint sitting of both houses of theSouth African Parliament. Both Bozzoli and Graaff had already been candidates for thepresidential election of September 1978.

The election, following the resignation of State President and former Prime MinisterJohn Vorster less than a year after his election, was won by Marais Viljoen, who had been Acting State President in his capacity as President of the Senate since June 4. The National Party had nominated Viljoen, rather than Transport MinisterLourens Muller, as its candidate on June 14.^[1] A joint session both houses of parliament voted along party lines on June 19, 1979, after which Viljoen was sworn in 90 minutes after his election.^[2]

• Presidential elections in South Africa
• 1979 elections in South Africa
• June 1979 in Africa

• Use dmy dates from April 2022
• Elections using electoral votes