United People's Party (Zimbabwe)

The United People's Party (UPP) was a political party in Zimbabwe. It was formed in 2006 by the former ZANU-PF provincial chairman of Masvingo and ZANU-PF member of the Central Committee, Dr. Daniel Shumba.^[1] Party candidates ran for the first time in the by-elections of Chiredzi South and Zaka East in February and March 2007, respectively. In the 2008 parliamentary election, the party put forward seventy-nine candidates for the House of Assembly and twenty-seven for the Senate in eight of Zimbabwe's ten provinces.

Dr Daniel Shumba (who self funded the Party), and was its initial party leader, was denied a chance to run in the 2008 Zimbabwean presidential election for allegedly arriving late to the nomination court. He later won his court application, but the judgement was issued well after the run-off elections. Other political parties feared that had the UPP got funding, it would have redefined Zimbabwe's political landscape. The UPP like the MDC was denied access to the media.^[2]

Although the UPP supported a true government of national unity (GNU), the power-sharing after the 2008 elections did not include them.^[3] In October 2009, Dr Shumba resigned from politics to continue his role as a business leader in Zimbabwe. "Our revolution is not just about politics, but about economic empowerment also", said Dr Shumba. The ZANU-PF government suspended his TeleAccess telecommunication licence as punishment for Dr Daniel Shumba's democratic agenda, while he was Chairman in ZANU-PF's Masvingo province. The matter is before the courts.

References

↑ Saburi, Hama (21 June 2006). "Zimbabwe: Shumba Breaks Silence On Tsholotsho". The Financial Gazette (rereported via AllAfrica.com). Archived from the original on 22 June 2006.
↑ Ngachoko, Benjamin (5 May 2010). "Media Restrictions in Zimbabwe: The Path to Free and Fair Access". International Institute for Justice and Development. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014.
↑ "GNU: Only Way Out". Financial Gazette. 17 April 2009. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014.

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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