Election Party name Total votes Share of votes Seats Share of seats Party Leader(s) Notes
1961 Progressive Party 69,045 8.6% 1 0.6% Jan Steytler National Party (NP) victory
1966 Progressive Party 39,717 3.1% 1 0.6% Jan Steytler NP victory
1970 Progressive Party 51,760 3.5% 1 0.6% Jan Steytler NP victory
1974 Progressive Party 58,768 5.3% 7 4.1% Colin Eglin NP victory
1977 Progressive Federal Party 177,705 16.7% 17 10.3% Colin Eglin NP victory; PFP gains official opposition status from United Party
1981 Progressive Federal Party 265,297 19.4% 27 15.2% Frederik van Zyl Slabbert NP victory; PFP remains official opposition
1987 Progressive Federal Party 288,579 13.9% 20 11.2% Colin Eglin NP victory; PFP loses official opposition status to Conservative Party
1989 Democratic Party 431,444 20.0% 34 19.1% Zach de Beer, Denis Worrall and Wynand Malan NP victory