Nelson Mandela was elected president of the African National Congress in 1991. He succeeded Oliver Tambo, who had led the organization during much of Mandela’s imprisonment and its years in exile.
The election took place at the ANC’s 48th National Conference in Durban. By then, the organization had been unbanned, Mandela was free, and formal negotiations with the South African government were under way.
Mandela’s ANC presidency was different from his later national presidency. He led the political movement through the transition to democracy and became South Africa’s first democratically elected president after the 1994 election. Cyril Ramaphosa was elected ANC secretary-general at the same conference.