1896 Orange Free State presidential election

← 1893

February 1896


Nominee	Martinus Theunis Steyn	John G. Fraser
Popular vote	6,877	1,367
Percentage	83.42%	16.58%

President before election

Pieter Jeremias Blignaut
(Acting)

Elected President

Martinus Theunis Steyn

Presidential elections were held in the Orange Free State in February 1896.^[1] They were held after the former President Francis William Reitz resigned due to bad health in 1895.^[2] The two candidates were High Court judge Martinus Theunis Steyn and John G. Fraser.^[2] Whilst Steyn supported the proposed merger of the Orange Free State and Transvaal, Fraser was in favour of closer links with the neighbouring Cape Colony and the United Kingdom.^[2]

The election resulted in a convincing win for Steyn,^[1] who received 83% of the vote. He was inaugurated as President on 4 March 1896 at the Dutch Reformed Church in Bloemfontein.^[2]

Results


Candidate	Votes	%
Martinus Theunis Steyn	6,877	83.42
John G. Fraser	1,367	16.58
Total	8,244	100.00

Source: South African History Online

References

^ ^a ^b Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Steyn, Martinus Theunis" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 25 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 915.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d M.T. Steyn is sworn in as president of the Orange Free State South African History Online

Elections and referendums in the Boer republics and South African colonial territories

Cape Colony
Parliamentary elections	1854 1858–59 1862 1866 1870 1874 1878–79 1884 1888–89 1891 1894 1898 1903 1904 1908

Griqualand West
Parliamentary elections	1873

Natalia Republic and Natal
Parliamentary elections	1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1857 1859 1880 1883 1892 1893 1897 1901 1902 1906
Referendums	1909