United Parties

The United Parties (UP) is a political party founded in Zimbabwe in 1994 and was led by retired Bishop Abel Muzorewa. The UP is an amalgamation of Muzorewa's former party, United African National Council, and a Matebeleland and Masvingo-based faction of the Forum Party which had been formed in 1993. The UP also received members from the Zimbabwe Unity Movement, the party founded by former ZANU PF secretary general Edgar Tekere in 1989.

The UP boycotted the 1995 elections and in 1996 Muzorewa withdrew from the Presidential election charging widespread irregularities in the electoral law and administration.

In the run-up to the 2000 election the UP called for Mugabe's resignation and an end to political intimidation.

The party signed a voting pact agreement with the Liberty Party, ZANU Ndonga and the Zimbabwe Union of Democrats with the aim of supporting the other party's candidate to avoid splitting votes. It exists today, although overshadowed by the Movement for Democratic Change as the principal opposition force.

Political parties in Zimbabwe and its antecedents

Governing parties	Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF) Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai (MDC–T) Movement for Democratic Change – Ncube (MDC–N)

Minor parties	International Socialist Organisation (ISO) Liberal Democrats National Alliance for Good Governance (NAGG) Patriotic Union of MaNdebeleland (PUMA) United People's Party (UPP) United Parties Zimbabwe African National Union – Ndonga (ZANU–Ndonga) Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) Zimbabwe African People's Union – Federal Party (ZAPU–FP) Zimbabwe Development Party (ZDP) Zimbabwe People's Democratic Party Zimbabwe Youth in Alliance (ZYA)

Defunct Zimbabwean parties	Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) Republican Front (RF) Conservative Alliance of Zimbabwe (CAZ) United African National Council (UANC) Zimbabwe Unity Movement (ZUM) Zimbabwe United People's Organisation (ZUPO)

Defunct Rhodesian parties	Central Africa Party Confederate Party Dominion Party Federal Party Responsible Government Association (RGA) Rhodesian Action Party (RAP) Rhodesian Front (RF) Rhodesia Labour Party (RLP) Southern Rhodesia African National Congress (SRANC) Southern Rhodesia Communist Party (SRCP) Southern Rhodesia Liberal Party (SRLP) United Federal Party (UFP) United National Federal Party (UNFP) United Rhodesia Party

President	Robert Mugabe (ZANU–PF)

Prime minister	Morgan Tsvangirai (MDC–T)

Key people	Ndabaningi Sithole (ZANU, ZANU–Ndonga) Joshua Nkomo (ZAPU) Arthur Mutambara (MDC–M) Ian Smith (RF)

Armed factions	ZANLA (ZANU, ZANU–PF) ZIPRA (ZAPU) FROLIZI

Portal:Politics List of political parties Politics of Zimbabwe

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