United National Independence Party facts for kids

The United National Independence Party (UNIP) is a political party in Zambia. It was in charge of the country from 1964 to 1991. During this time, Kenneth Kaunda was the President, and the party followed socialist ideas. From 1973 to 1990, UNIP was the only legal political party in Zambia. On April 4, 2021, Bishop Trevor Mwamba became the new leader of UNIP.

Quick facts for kids United National Independence Party
Abbreviation	UNIP
Leader	Trevor Mwamba
Founder	Mainza Chona
Founded	October 1959 (October 1959)
Preceded by	Zambian African National Congress
Headquarters	Lusaka
Ideology	African socialism African nationalism
Political position	Left-wing
National Assembly	0 / 157
Pan African Parliament	0 / 5
Party flag
Website
unipzambia.org

People from the United National Independence Party (UNIP) protesting during a visit by Iain Macleod in 1960.

The Story of UNIP: From Founding to Leadership

UNIP was created in October 1959 by Mainza Chona. It took over from the Zambian African National Congress (ZANC), which had been banned earlier that year. At first, Mainza Chona led UNIP because the ZANC leader, Kenneth Kaunda, was in prison. When Kaunda was released in 1960, he became the leader of UNIP.

In the 1962 general elections, UNIP won 14 seats. They came in second place. The leader of the Northern Rhodesian African National Congress, Harry Nkumbula, first made a deal with another party. But he later decided to form a government with UNIP instead.

Winning Independence: UNIP's Rise to Power

In the 1964 Northern Rhodesian general elections, UNIP won a big victory. They secured 55 out of 75 seats. This win made Kenneth Kaunda the Prime Minister of Northern Rhodesia. On October 24, 1964, Zambia became an independent country. Kaunda then became its first President.

In the 1968 general elections, Kaunda was re-elected President. He won with 82% of the votes. UNIP also won 81 out of 105 seats in the National Assembly.

Zambia as a One-Party State

In 1973, Zambia changed to a one-party state. This meant UNIP was the only legal political party. A new constitution was put in place on August 25, 1973. The election that year was seen as the final step in creating a "one-party participatory democracy."

The main decisions for the country were made by UNIP's Central Committee. The party's president was chosen at a special party meeting. This president was also the only candidate for the country's president. Voters would confirm him every five years with a "yes" or "no" vote. For parliamentary seats, voters chose from several UNIP candidates. Kaunda was confirmed as president with 89% of the vote. Elections continued this way in 1978, 1983, and 1988. Kaunda always received at least 80% of the votes.

Return to Multi-Party Democracy

Towards the end of 1990, Zambia brought back multi-party democracy. This meant other political parties could exist again. In the 1991 general elections, UNIP lost badly. The Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) won. Kaunda lost the presidential vote to MMD candidate Frederick Chiluba. Kaunda only got 24% of the votes. In the National Assembly elections, UNIP won 25 seats, while MMD won 125.

Recent Elections and Changes

After some changes to the constitution, Kaunda could not run for president again. Because of this, UNIP did not take part in the 1996 elections. However, two of its members still ran for National Assembly seats.

The party returned to elections in 2001. Kenneth Kaunda's son, Tilyenji Kaunda, ran for president. He came in fourth place with 10% of the votes. UNIP won 13 seats in the National Assembly that year.

Before the 2006 elections, UNIP joined the United Democratic Alliance. This alliance included two other large opposition parties. United Party for National Development leader, Hakainde Hichilema, was the alliance's presidential candidate. He finished third. The alliance won 26 seats in the National Assembly. This was fewer than the 74 seats the three parties had won together in 2001.

UNIP did not run in the 2008 presidential by-election. But Tilyenji Kaunda was their presidential candidate for the 2011 elections. He received less than 1% of the votes. The party also did not win any seats in the National Assembly. Tilyenji Kaunda ran again in the 2015 presidential by-election and the 2016 general elections. In both elections, he received very few votes, and UNIP did not win any seats.

Election Results for UNIP

This section shows how UNIP has performed in presidential and parliamentary elections over the years.

Presidential Election Results

Election	Party candidate	Votes	%	Result
1968	Kenneth Kaunda	1,079,970	81.8%	Elected Y
1973		581,245	88.8%	Elected Y
1978		1,026,127	80.7%	Elected Y
1983		1,453,029	95.4%	Elected Y
1988		1,414,000	95.5%	Elected Y
1991		311,022	24.24%	Lost
2001	Tilyenji Kaunda	175,898	10.12%	Lost
2006	Supported Hakainde Hichilema (UDA)	693,772	25.32%	Lost
2011	Tilyenji Kaunda	9,950	0.36%	Lost
2015		9,737	0.58%	Lost
2016		8,928	0.24%	Lost
2021	Trevor Mwamba	3,036	0.06%	Lost

National Assembly Election Results

Election	Party leader	Votes		%	Seats	+/–	Position	Result
1962	Kenneth Kaunda	Upper roll	4,519	14.79%	14 / 45	14	2nd	Opposition
		Lower roll	59,648	78.16%
1964		Main roll	570,612	69.1%	55 / 75	41	1st	Supermajority government
		Reserved roll	6,177	35.2%
1968		657,764		73.2%	81 / 110	26	1st	Supermajority government
1973		527,252		100%	125 / 136	44	1st	Sole legal party
1978				100%	125 / 136		1st	Sole legal party
1983				100%	125 / 136		1st	Sole legal party
1988				100%	125 / 136		1st	Sole legal party
1991		314,711		24.99%	25 / 159	100	2nd	Opposition
1996	Tilyenji Kaunda	477		0.04%	0 / 159	25	9th	Extra-parliamentary
2001		185,535		10.59%	13 / 159	13	4th	Opposition
2006		610,608 as part of the UDA		22.51%	26 / 159	13	3rd	Opposition
2011		18,446		0.68%	0 / 159	26	6th	Extra-parliamentary
2016		7,253		0.20%	0 / 156		9th	Extra-parliamentary
2021	Trevor Mwamba	12,742		0.26%	0 / 167		7th	Extra-parliamentary

See also

In Spanish: Partido Unido de la Independencia Nacional para niños