| Election Name: | 2009 Western Cape provincial election |
| Country: | South Africa |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Previous Election: | 2004 Western Cape parliamentary election |
| Previous Year: | 2004 |
| Next Year: | 2014 |
| Next Election: | 2014 Western Cape provincial election |
| Seats For Election: | All 42 seats in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament |
| Majority Seats: | 22 |
| Candidate1: | Helen Zille |
| Party1: | Democratic Alliance (South Africa) |
| Last Election1: | 12 seats, 27.11% |
| Seats Before1: | 11 |
| Seats1: | 22 |
| Seat Change1: | 10 |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,012,568 |
| Percentage1: | 51.46% |
| Swing1: | 24.35 |
| Candidate2: | Lynne Brown |
| Party2: | African National Congress |
| Last Election2: | 19 seats, 45.25% |
| Seats Before2: | 27 |
| Seats2: | 14 |
| Seat Change2: | 5 |
| Popular Vote2: | 620,918 |
| Percentage2: | 31.55% |
| Swing2: | 13.70 |
| Candidate3: | Allan Boesak |
| Party3: | Congress of the People (South African political party) |
| Last Election3: | - |
| Seats Before3: | - |
| Seats3: | 3 |
| Seat Change3: | New party |
| Popular Vote3: | 152,356 |
| Percentage3: | 7.74% |
| Swing3: | New party |
| Map Size: | 350px |
| Premier | |
| Before Election: | Lynne Brown |
| Before Party: | African National Congress |
| After Election: | Helen Zille |
| After Party: | Democratic Alliance |
The 2009 Western Cape provincial election was held on 22 April 2009 alongside the 2009 general elections to elect the 42 members of the 4th Western Cape Provincial Parliament. It was the third time in provincial history that saw a change of government.
The African National Congress (ANC) held a majority at the end of the outgoing provincial parliament. As a result of the election, the official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) were elected to a majority government under premier candidate Helen Zille in a landslide victory. The DA formed the provincial government for the first time in its history, displacing the ANC, who came in second and consequently assumed the title of the official opposition in the province. The ANC had won a plurality of seats in the 2004 election and became the governing party. The Independent Democrats (ID) were replaced as the third-largest party by the ANC breakaway party, the Congress of the People (COPE).[1]
The politics of the Western Cape are more complex than the rest of South Africa, as the province is more hotly-contested each election cycle compared to other provinces and voters had elected hung provincial parliaments since the 1994 elections. This election marked the first time since the end of apartheid that a party achieved a majority of seats in the provincial parliament. Analysts suggest that the ANC-COPE split made it easier for the DA to win the province.[2]
In the run-up to the election, analysts suggested that the DA would perform strongly in the province, with some expecting the party to dislodge the ANC from government. On 25 April, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) project that the party would win the province with an overall majority.[3]
DA leader and premier candidate, Helen Zille, was elected and sworn into office on 6 May 2009. Former premier Lynne Brown assumed the post of leader of the opposition.