United African National Council
AbbreviationUANC
PresidentGwinyai Henry Muzorewa
FounderAbel Muzorewa
Founded1971
HeadquartersHarare
IdeologyReconciliation
Social liberalism
Political positionCentre-left
AllianceUnited Parties (1996–2000)
Colours       
Green, yellow, red, black
Party flag

The United African National Council (UANC) is a political party in Zimbabwe. It was briefly the ruling party during 1979–1980, when its leader Abel Muzorewa was Prime Minister.

History

The party was founded by Muzorewa in 1971.[1] Running as African National Council independents, it won six of the eight African seats in the House of Assembly in the 1974 general elections. The party was renamed the United African National Council in 1977,[1] but did not contest the 1977 general elections.

Following the Internal Settlement of 1978, the party won the 1979 elections, winning 51 of the 100 seats, resulting in Muzorewa becoming Prime Minister. However, the new government failed to win international recognition due to its exclusion of the African nationalist ZAPU and ZANU in negotiations and following the Lancaster House Agreement, early elections were held in April 1980. The UANC won only three seats as ZANU–PF took power.

After failing to win a seat in the 1985 and 1990 elections, the party joined with other opposition parties to form United Parties to support Muzorewa in the 1996 presidential election, but he subsequently pulled out (albeit with his name remaining on the ballot). United Parties also unsuccessfully contested the 2000 parliamentary elections.

The party contested the 2018 general elections but received just 1,889 votes.

Electoral history

Presidential elections

Election Party candidate Votes Percentage Votes Percentage Result
First Round Second Round
1996 Abel Muzorewa 72,600 4.80% — — Lost Red X
2023 Gwinyai Henry Muzorewa 7,358 0.17% — — Lost Red X

National Assembly

Election Party leader Votes Percentage Seats won Change Position Result
1974 — 1,590 53.36%
6 / 100
 New Increase 2nd Opposition
1979 Abel Muzorewa 1,212,639 67.27%
51 / 100
 Increase 51 Increase 1st Government
1980 219,307 8.28%
3 / 100
 Decrease 48 Decrease 3rd Opposition
1985 64,764 2.24%
0 / 100
 Decrease 3 Steady 3rd Extra-parliamentary
1990 11,191 0.53%
0 / 120
 Steady 0 Decrease 4th Extra-parliamentary
2000 18,606 0.75%
0 / 120
 Steady 0 Increase 3rd Extra-parliamentary
2018 Gwinyai Henry Muzorewa 1,889 0.04%
0 / 270
 Steady 0 Decrease 18th Extra-parliamentary
2023 574 0.01%
0 / 280
 Steady 0 Increase 13th Extra-parliamentary

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Abel Tendekayi Muzorewa | prime minister of Zimbabwe Rhodesia | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
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