United National Independence Party
United National Independence Party | ||
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Pan African Parliament 0 / 5 | ||
Party flag | ||
Website | ||
unipzambia.org | ||
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President of Zambia 1964-1991
Government
Post-presidency Others |
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The United National Independence Party (UNIP) is a political party in Zambia. It governed the country from 1964 to 1991 under the socialist presidency of Kenneth Kaunda, and was the sole legal party in the country between 1973 and 1990. On 4 April 2021, Bishop Trevor Mwamba was elected President of UNIP.
History
UNIP was founded in October 1959 by Mainza Chona as a successor of the Zambian African National Congress (ZANC), banned earlier that year. UNIP was initially led Chona as the ZANC leader, Kaunda, had been imprisoned. Kaunda later assumed power as leader of UNIP after he was released from prison in 1960.
In the general elections, UNIP won 14 seats, in second position, the first being taken by United Federal Party (UFP). Although Northern Rhodesian African National Congress leader Harry Nkumbula had made a secret electoral pact with the UFP, he later opted to form a government with UNIP. After a convincing victory in the Northern Rhodesian general elections in 1964, when UNIP won 55 of the 75 seats, Kaunda became Prime Minister of Northern Rhodesia, leading the country to independence on 24 October 1964, when he became president.
In the
In 1973, the country became a
At the end of 1990, multi-party democracy was reintroduced, and UNIP was roundly defeated in the
defeated in the presidential vote by MMD candidate Frederick Chiluba, receiving just 24% of the vote, whilst in the National Assembly elections UNIP won 25 seats to the MMD's 125.[1]
Following changes to the constitution which effectively barred Kaunda from running for president again, UNIP boycotted the
Prior to the
UNIP did not contest the
Electoral history
Presidential elections
Election | Party candidate | Votes | % | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1968
|
Kenneth Kaunda | 1,079,970 | 81.8% | Elected |
1973
|
581,245 | 88.8% | Elected | |
1978
|
1,026,127 | 80.7% | Elected | |
1983
|
1,453,029 | 95.4% | Elected | |
1988
|
1,414,000 | 95.5% | Elected | |
1991
|
311,022 | 24.24% | Lost | |
2001
|
Tilyenji Kaunda | 175,898 | 10.12% | Lost |
2006
|
Supported Hakainde Hichilema (UDA) | 693,772 | 25.32% | Lost |
2011
|
Tilyenji Kaunda | 9,950 | 0.36% | Lost |
2015
|
9,737 | 0.58% | Lost | |
2016
|
8,928 | 0.24% | Lost | |
2021
|
Trevor Mwamba | 3,036 | 0.06% | Lost |
National Assembly elections
Election | Party leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Outcome | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1962 | Kenneth Kaunda | Upper roll | 4,519 | 14.79% | 14 / 45
|
14 | 2nd | Opposition |
Lower roll | 59,648 | 78.16% | ||||||
1964 | Main roll | 570,612 | 69.1% | 55 / 75
|
41 | 1st | Supermajority government | |
Reserved roll | 6,177 | 35.2% | ||||||
1968
|
657,764 | 73.2% |
81 / 110
|
26 | 1st | Supermajority government | ||
1973
|
527,252 | 100% |
125 / 136
|
44 | 1st | Sole legal party | ||
1978
|
100% |
125 / 136
|
1st | Sole legal party | ||||
1983
|
100% |
125 / 136
|
1st | Sole legal party | ||||
1988
|
100% | 125 / 136
|
1st | Sole legal party | ||||
1991
|
314,711 | 24.99% |
25 / 159
|
100 | 2nd | Opposition | ||
1996
|
Tilyenji Kaunda | 477 | 0.04% |
0 / 159
|
25 | 9th | Extra-parliamentary | |
2001
|
185,535 | 10.59% | 13 / 159
|
13 | 4th | Opposition | ||
2006
|
610,608
as part of the UDA |
22.51% | 26 / 159
|
13 | 3rd | Opposition | ||
2011
|
18,446 | 0.68% | 0 / 159
|
26 | 6th | Extra-parliamentary | ||
2016
|
7,253 | 0.20% | 0 / 156
|
9th | Extra-parliamentary | |||
2021
|
Trevor Mwamba | 12,742 | 0.26% | 0 / 167
|
7th | Extra-parliamentary |
References
- ^ a b c d e Elections in Zambia African Elections Database
- ^ The Law and Economic Development in the Third World, P. Ebow Bondzi-Simpson Praeger, 1992, page 25
External links
Media related to United National Independence Party at Wikimedia Commons