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 2000 party, purportedly a revival of those members of ZAPU who had rejected the 1987 merger with ZANU-PF [ [http://70.84.171.10/~etools/newsbrief/2005/news0401.txt ANC Daily News Briefing 1 April 2005] ] [ [http://www.insiderzim.com/jun04umdhala.html Umdhala wethu gala and the elections] ] in January 2002, following the ZAPU rump's decision not to contest the Zimbabwean presidential election, 2002 [ [http://www.eisa.org.za/WEP/zimleaders4.htm EISA Zimbabwe: Paul Siwela] ] and amidst accusations that ZAPU-FP founder Paul Siwela had accepted payments from ZANU-PF to split the MDC vote in Matabeleland. [ [http://www.zimbabwesituation.com/feb1_2002.html Madlela urges opposition to field one candidate] ]

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 [ [http://changezimbabwe.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=999&Itemid=2 ZAPU-FP Falls Apart in Unity Moves] ] . 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%) [ [http://africanelections.tripod.com/zw.html Elections in Zimbabwe] ] contested the Zimbabwean House of Assembly in the Zimbabwean parliamentary election, 2008 in Nketa, gaining 195 votes [ [http://allafrica.com/stories/200804030896.html?page=8 allAfrica.com] ] and the Senate election in Gwabalanda (Bulawayo), gaining 734 votes [ [http://allafrica.com/stories/200804060025.html?page=2 allAfrica.com] ] .

Along with three other minor opposition parties, ZAPU-FP is a member of the Zimbabwe Organisation of Opposition Political Parties [ [http://www.esinislam.com/AfricanRegionalNews/072008/00018b.htm Zimbabwean Parties in Alliance Against American-British Sanctions] ] .

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