It’s 25 years since Nelson Mandela was elected as the first black President of South Africa, in the nation’s first fully-representative democratic election. Leading the African National Congress party, the victory came just four years after Madiba was released from 27 years of imprisonment at the hands of the Apartheid regime. Promising a new era of hope and reconciliation, Mandela and the ANC won 62% of the vote, in an election that saw millions of South Africans lining up to cast their ballot. The 27th April is now a national holiday in the county - Freedom Day. Follow the bio link gettyarchive for more coverage from the campaign and its immediate aftermath. 📷: Nelson Mandela arrives at the meeting in Rustenberg | Kevin Carter/Sygma via Getty Images | 1994 | #gettyarchive #nelsonmandela #madiba #southafrica #freedomday #kevincarter #sygma #photojournalism #onthisday #historyphoto #photoarchive