Zimbabwe African People's Union – Federal Party
The Zimbabwe African People's Union – Federal Party is a minor Zimbabwean political party, based in Matabeleland. ZAPU-FP split from Agrippa Madlela's ZAPU party, purportedly a revival of those members of ZAPU who had rejected the 1987 merger with ZANU-PF [1][2] in January 2002, following ZAPU's decision not to contest the Zimbabwean presidential election, 2002 [3] and amidst accusations that ZAPU-FP founder Paul Siwela had accepted payments from ZANU-PF to run in the election and thereby split the anti-Mugabe vote in Matabeleland.[4]
ZAPU-FP has a federalist, Matabeleland-centric ideology similar to that of PUMA. Paul Siwela was expelled from the leadership of the party in January 2008 due to initiating unauthorised talks with PUMA with a view to forming an electoral coalition in the Zimbabwean elections of 2008.[5] Secretary general Sikhumbuzo Dube claimed the role of acting president of ZAPU-FP in his stead and Siwela ultimately stood unsuccessfully for election as a candidate for the Federal Democratic Union.
The party contested the Zimbabwean parliamentary election, 2005 for the Zimbabwean Senate, gaining 213 votes (0.03%) [6] contested the Zimbabwean House of Assembly in the Zimbabwean parliamentary election, 2008 in Nketa, gaining 195 votes [7] and the Senate election in Gwabalanda (Bulawayo), gaining 734 votes.[8]
Along with three other minor opposition parties, ZAPU-FP is a member of the Zimbabwe Organisation of Opposition Political Parties.[9]
References
- ↑ ANC Daily News Briefing 1 April 2005
- ↑ Umdhala wethu gala and the elections
- ↑ EISA Zimbabwe: Paul Siwela
- ↑ Madlela urges opposition to field one candidate
- ↑ ZAPU-FP Falls Apart in Unity Moves
- ↑ Elections in Zimbabwe
- ↑ allAfrica.com
- ↑ allAfrica.com
- ↑ Zimbabwean Parties in Alliance Against American-British Sanctions