The United Federal Party (UFP) was a political party in the

Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, also known as the Central African Federation or CAF, was a colonial federation that consisted of three southern African territories: the self-governing British colony of Southern Rhodesia and the B ...

History

The UFP was formed in November 1957 by a merger of the Federal Party, which had operated at the federal level, and the Southern Rhodesian

United Rhodesia Party The name United Rhodesia Party and the acronym, URP, refer to two political parties in Southern Rhodesia. The first was the party, led by Sir Godfrey Huggins, and which in 1933 came to power in the colony. It was informally known as the United P ...

.Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, United Federal Party
Political Parties: A Cross-National Survey However, after conservative elements gained control of the party, the liberal faction led by

Garfield Todd Sir Reginald Stephen Garfield Todd (13 July 1908 – 13 October 2002) was a liberal Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia from 1953 to 1958 and later became an opponent of white minority rule in Rhodesia. Background Todd was born in Invercargill ...

broke away to re-establish the United Rhodesia Party. In the 1958 general election in Southern Rhodesia, the UFP won 17 of the 30 seats, despite receiving fewer votes than the

Dominion Party The Dominion Party was a political party in the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, led by Winston Field. History The party was established in 1956 by a merger of several political groups and the remains of the Confederate Party, which had di ...

, whilst the URP failed to win a seat. In the federal election in November 1958, the UFP won 46 of the 59 seats. General elections in Northern Rhodesia in March 1959 saw the UFP win 13 of the 20 elected seats. In the August 1961 elections in

Nyasaland Nyasaland () was a British protectorate located in Africa that was established in 1907 when the former British Central Africa Protectorate changed its name. Between 1953 and 1963, Nyasaland was part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasala ...

the Malawi Congress Party won 22 seats (including two upper roll seats) and the UFP five (all from the upper roll). The next federal elections in March 1962 were boycotted by all other parties, allowing the UFP to win 54 of the 57 seats. However, that was the end of the UFP's success. In the Northern Rhodesian general elections in September the UFP won the most seats, but the Northern Rhodesian African National Congress, which held the balance of power, went back on a secret pact its leader

Harry Nkumbula Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula (15 January 1916 – 8 October 1983)United National Independence Party The United National Independence Party (UNIP) is a political party in Zambia. It governed the country from 1964 to 1991 under the socialist presidency of Kenneth Kaunda, and was the sole legal party in the country between 1973 and 1990. On 4 ...

to form the government. General elections in Southern Rhodesia in December 1962 saw the UFP defeated by the new

Rhodesian Front The Rhodesian Front was a right-wing conservative political party in Southern Rhodesia, subsequently known as Rhodesia. It was the last ruling party of Southern Rhodesia prior to that country's unilateral declaration of independence, and the ...

; the UFP winning 29 seats to the Front's 35. In April 1963, the party was split into four; the federal branch was rebranded as the Federal Party and continued to be led by

Roy Welensky Sir Roland "Roy" Welensky, (''né'' Raphael Welensky; 20 January 1907 – 5 December 1991) was a Northern Rhodesian politician and the second and last Prime Minister of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. Born in Salisbury, Southern Rh ...

, whilst the territorial branches became the National Progressive Party in Northern Rhodesia, the Nyasaland Constitutional Party in Nyasaland and the

Rhodesia National Party The Rhodesia National Party (RNP) was a political party in Rhodesia and was the successor and right wing of the United Federal Party (UFP). The Rhodesia National Party adhered to the policies of the U.F.P; which, included the abolition of the La ...

in Southern Rhodesia, where it was led by

Edgar Whitehead Sir Edgar Cuthbert Fremantle Whitehead, (8 February 1905 – 22 September 1971) was a Rhodesian politician. He was a longstanding member of the Southern Rhodesian Legislative Assembly, although his career was interrupted by other posts and by ...

."U.F.P. Takes New Form: Four Separate Parties", ''East Africa and Rhodesia'', 25 April 1963, p729 The federation was dissolved at the end of 1963.

References

{{Zimbabwean political parties Conservative parties in Zimbabwe Liberal parties in Zimbabwe Political parties in Rhodesia Political parties established in 1957 Political parties disestablished in 1963 Defunct political parties in Malawi Defunct political parties in Zambia Defunct political parties in Zimbabwe 1957 establishments in Northern Rhodesia 1957 establishments in Nyasaland 1957 establishments in Southern Rhodesia Political parties disestablished in 1958 1963 disestablishments in Northern Rhodesia 1963 disestablishments in Nyasaland 1963 disestablishments in Southern Rhodesia