Gen.

Jan Smuts Field Marshal Jan Christian Smuts, (24 May 1870 11 September 1950) was a South African statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various military and cabinet posts, he served as Prime Minister of South Africa, prime m ...

became Prime Minister, after

Louis Botha Louis Botha (; 27 September 1862 – 27 August 1919) was a South African politician who was the first prime minister of the Union of South Africa – the forerunner of the modern South African state. A Boer war hero during the Second Boer War, ...

's death in September 1919. In the general election of 1920, with 134 seats elected to the lower house, the

South African Party nl, Zuidafrikaanse Partij , leader1_title = Leader (s) , leader1_name = Louis Botha,Jan Smuts,Barry Hertzog , foundation = , dissolution = , merger = Het Volk South African Party Afrikaner Bond Orangia Unie , merged ...

led by Jan Smuts was ahead by three seats against the National Party (44 seats). Both parties then found themselves forced to form alliances with third parties (unionists and labour) to form the new government. The

was quick to form an alliance with the pro-British Unionist Party (25 seats) and Jan Smuts was reappointed prime minister. Shortly after in the same year, the Unionists agreed to join the South African Party and early general elections were held in February 1921.

Cabinet

Sources

External links

* {{Union of South Africa Cabinets Government of South Africa Executive branch of the government of South Africa Cabinets of South Africa 1920 establishments in South Africa 1921 disestablishments in South Africa Cabinets established in 1920 Cabinets disestablished in 1921 Jan Smuts