UNIP
|
United National
Independence Party |
|
|---|---|
| Leader | Tilyenji Kaunda |
| Founder | Mainza Chona |
| Founded | October 1959 |
| Ideology |
African socialism African nationalism |
| Political position | Left-wing |
| National Assembly |
0 / 157
|
| Pan African Parliament |
0 / 5
|
The United National Independence Party (UNIP) is a political party in Zambia. It governed the country from 1964 to 1991 under the presidency of Kenneth Kaunda, and was the sole legal party between 1973 and 1990.
The party was founded in October 1959 as a successor to the Zambian African National Congress, which had been banned earlier in the year. It was initially led by Mainza Chona as ZANC leader Kaunda had been imprisoned, but upon his release from jail in January 1960, Kaunda assumed the party's leadership.
In the 1962 general elections the party won 14 seats, making it the second largest party behind the European-dominated United Federal Party (UFP). However, 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 1964 elections, in which UNIP won 55 of the 75 seats, Kaunda became Prime Minister of Northern Rhodesia, leading the country to independence on 24 October 1964, at which point he became President.
In the 1968 general elections Kaunda was re-elected president with 82% of the vote, whilst UNIP won 81 of the 105 elected seats in the National Assembly.
In 1973 the country became a one-party state with UNIP as the sole legal party; an amended constitution was promulgated on 25 August 1973, with the 1973 elections described as the final steps in achieving what was called a "one-party participatory democracy." National policy was formulated by the Central Committee of UNIP. According to the constitution, UNIP's president was selected at the party's general conference, and the second-ranking person in the Zambian hierarchy was UNIP's secretary general. The constitution also stipulated that UNIP's president was the sole candidate for president of the republic; he was confirmed in office every five years via a yes/no referendum. Voters chose between multiple UNIP candidates for the 125 parliamentary seats, with three candidates running in each constituency. Kaunda was confirmed as president with 89% of the vote. Elections were held under the same system in 1978, 1983 and 1988, with Kaunda receiving at least 80% of the vote each time.
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