View source for United National Independence Party

{{Infobox political party
|name = United National<br/>Independence Party
|colorcode = #C94E47
|party_logo =
|leader = [[Tilyenji Kaunda]]
|foundation = {{start date|October 1959}}
|founder = [[Mainza Chona]]
|ideology =[[Socialism]]<br>[[Nationalism]] 
|position = [[Centre-left]] to [[Left-wing politics|Left-wing]]
|international = 
|colours = 
|headquarters = 
|seats1_title = [[National Assembly (Zambia)|National Assembly]]
|seats1 = {{Composition bar|0|157|hex=#C94E47}}
|seats2_title = [[Pan African Parliament]]
|seats2 = {{Composition bar|0|5|hex=#C94E47}}
|website = 
|country = Zambia
}}[[File:The National Archives UK - CO 1069-125-10.jpg|thumb|Demonstrations by the United National Independence Party (UNIP) during the visit of [[Iain Macleod]] (1960)]]

The '''United National Independence Party''' (UNIP) is a [[political party]] in [[Zambia]]. It governed the country from 1964 to 1991 under the [[president|presidency]] of [[Kenneth Kaunda]], and was the sole legal party between 1973 and 1991.

==History==
The party was founded in October 1959 as a successor to the [[Zambian African National Congress (1958–59)|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.<ref>[http://thecommonwealth.org/our-member-countries/zambia/history Zambia : History] The Commonwealth</ref>

In the [[Northern Rhodesian general election, 1962|1962 general elections]] the party won 14 seats, making it the second largest party behind the European-dominated [[United Federal Party]] (UFP). However, although [[Zambian African National Congress|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 election, 1964|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 that year, at which point he became President.<ref name=AED>[http://africanelections.tripod.com/zm.html Elections in Zambia] African Elections Database</ref>

In the [[Zambian general election, 1968|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 (Zambia)|National Assembly]].<ref name=AED/> In 1973 the country became a [[one-party state]] with UNIP as the sole legal party; the [[constitution]] was altered and promulgated on 25 August 1973, with the [[Zambian general election, 1973|1973 elections]] described as the final steps in achieving what was called a "[[democratic centralism|one-party participatory democracy]]." National policy was formulated by the Central Committee of UNIP, the constitution stipulated that the sole presidential candidate was the person selected to be the president of UNIP by the party's general conference, and the second-ranking person in the Zambian hierarchy was UNIP's secretary general. The elections saw the presidency decided on a yes/no vote on the UNIP candidate, whilst multiple UNIP candidates contested the 125 parliamentary seats. Kaunda was re-elected president with 89% of the vote.<ref name=AED/> Elections were held under the same system in [[Zambian general election, 1978|1978]], [[Zambian general election, 1983|1983]] and [[Zambian general election, 1988|1988]].

At the end of 1990 multi-party democracy was reintroduced, resulting in a strong challenge to UNIP in the [[Zambian general election, 1991|general elections]] that year. Kaunda was defeated in the presidential vote by [[Movement for Multi-Party Democracy]] candidate [[Frederick Chiluba]], receiving just 24% of the vote. In the National Assembly elections UNIP won 25 seats, whilst the MMD won 125.<ref name=AED/>

Following changes to the constitution which barred Kaunda from running for president again, UNIP boycotted the [[Zambian general election, 1996|1996 elections]], although two members contested National Assembly seats. The party returned to contest the [[Zambian general election, 2001|2001 elections]] with [[Tilyenji Kaunda]] as its presidential candidate; he received 10% of the vote, finishing fourth out of the eleven candidates. In the National Assembly elections the party won 13 seats.<ref name=AED/>

Prior to the [[Zambian general election, 2006|2006 elections]] the party joined the [[United Democratic Alliance (Zambia)|United Democratic Alliance]] alongside the other two largest opposition parties. [[United Party for National Development]] leader [[Hakainde Hichilema]] was the alliance's presidential candidate, finishing third. The alliance won just 26 seats in the National Assembly, down from the 74 the three parties had won in 2001.

UNIP did not contest the [[Zambian presidential election, 2008|2008 presidential by-election]], but nominated Tilyenji Kaunda as its presidential candidate for the [[Zambian general election, 2011|2011 elections]]. Kaunda received less than 1% of the vote, finishing sixth in a field of ten candidates. The party also failed to win a seat in the National Assembly, receiving only 0.7% of the vote.<ref name=AED/> Kaunda ran in the [[Zambian presidential election, 2015|2015 presidential by-election]], but again received less than 1% of the vote.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Zambian political parties}}

[[Category:United National Independence Party| ]]
[[Category:Political parties in Zambia]]
[[Category:Parties of one-party systems]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1959]]
[[Category:1959 establishments in Northern Rhodesia]]