F.W. De Klerk | Constitution | Oxford Union

An extract from the Q&A segment of F.W. De Klerk's talk at the Oxford Union titled 'The new South Africa after twenty years'

President of South Africa who, together with Nelson Mandela, helped to end apartheid. Nobel Peace Prize winner.

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ABOUT F.W. DE KLERK: Frederik Willem de Klerk (born 18 March 1936), was the seventh and last State President of apartheid-era South Africa, serving from September 1989 to May 1994. De Klerk was also leader of the National Party (which later became the New National Party) from February 1989 to September 1997.

De Klerk brokered the end of apartheid, South Africa's racial segregation policy, and supported the transformation of South Africa into a multi-racial democracy by entering into the negotiations that resulted in all citizens, including the country's black majority, having equal voting and other rights. He won the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize in 1991, the Prince of Asturias Award in 1992 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 along with Nelson Mandela for his role in the ending of apartheid.

He was one of the deputy presidents of South Africa during the presidency of Nelson Mandela until 1996, the last white person to hold the position to date. In 1997 he retired from active politics. As of 2011 he remains active as a lecturer internationally.

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