Mandela Bids Farewell to Parliament

Bringing an end to a remarkable era of political change, President Nelson Mandela bade farewell to South Africa’s Parliament Friday and paid tribute to the achievements of five years of democratic government.

Mandela told lawmakers in their final session before national elections June 2 that all political parties had worked hard to overcome the racial divisions left by colonialism and apartheid.

“We have laid the foundation for a better life,” Mandela said in the packed National Assembly chamber. “Things that were unimaginable a few years ago have become everyday reality. And of this we must be proud.”

Since all-race elections ended apartheid in 1994 and brought in South Africa’s first multiracial Parliament, Mandela has emerged as a unifying symbol of racial reconciliation.

Preaching forgiveness and tolerance with wit and gentle humor, Mandela, 80, won friends at home and abroad, earning a reputation as the moral conscience of his country and--some say--the world.

At the end of his speech, lawmakers from the ruling African National Congress sang and chanted Mandela’s name, swaying and dancing. Mandela acknowledged the cheers and raised both arms before leaving Parliament.