General elections were held in South Africa on 2 June 1999. The result was a victory for the governing African National Congress (ANC), which gained fourteen seats. Incumbent president Nelson Mandela declined to seek re-election as president. This election was notable for the sharp decline of the New National Party, previously the National Party (NP), which without former State President F.W. de Klerk lost more than half of their support. The liberal Democratic Party became the largest opposition party, after being the fifth largest party in the 1994 election. The number of parties represented in the National Assembly increased to thirteen, with the United Democratic Movement, jointly headed by former National Party member Roelf Meyer, and former ANC member Bantu Holomisa, being the most s