Despite the election, the parliament was weak and executive power remained firmly in the hands of the Governor, Sir George Grey, who was appointed from London.

As Colonial Secretary, Rawson could speak in both the Assembly and Council, but held no voting rights.

In the Eastern Province, the assembly elections saw little excitement, with some constituencies had difficulty even finding willing candidates.

[2] Andries Stockenström and Robert Godlonton, both representatives for the Eastern Division in the council, chose not to seek re-election.

For elections to the House of Assembly, the Cape was divided into 22 electoral divisions, returning a total of 46 members.