After 30 years of exiled struggle, during which many ANC members had been imprisoned or forced abroad, the country began its move towards full democracy. On 3 February 1990, State President F. W. de Klerk lifted the ban on the ANC and released Nelson Mandela from prison on 11 February 1990. On 17 March 1992, the apartheid referendum was passed by the white only electorate, removing apartheid and allowing the ANC to run in the 1994 election, which for the first time allowed all South Africans to vote for their national government. Since the 1994 election the ANC has performed better than 55% in all general elections, including the most recent 2019 election. However, the party has been embroiled in a number of controversies since 2011.