 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2017) |
United Christian Democratic Party | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Modiri Desmond Sehume |
| President | Modiri Desmond Sehume |
| Founder | Lucas Mangope |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Preceded by | Bophuthatswana Democratic Party |
| Headquarters | Mafikeng, North West Province |
| Youth wing | UCDP Youth League |
| Ideology | Christian democracy Economic liberalism |
| Political position | Centre-right |
| National affiliation | Multi-Party Charter (MPC) |
| Colours | orange, brown and green |
| Slogan | "Stand Up and Speak Out" |
| National Assembly seats | 0 / 400 |
| NCOP seats | 0 / 90 |
| Website | |
| www | |
The United Christian Democratic Party is a minor political party in South Africa. It was founded by Lucas Mangope, leader of the Bophuthatswana bantustan in 1997, as a successor to the Tswana National Party,[1] and led by him for the first fifteen years of its existence. Mavis Matladi was elected as its leader on 29 January 2011[2] after the expulsion of Mangope.[3] Matladi died in December 2011.[4] Isaac Sipho Mfundisi was elected president on Saturday, 7 January 2012.
Mfundisi was succeeded by the current President Modiri Desmond Sehume[5] who was elected in the Federal Congress in 2019.[citation needed]
Most of the party's support comes from the North West province (where the old Bophuthatswana was located), and it has very little presence elsewhere in the country. The UCDP was the official opposition to the African National Congress in the North West province in 1999 and 2004, but slipped to fourth in the provincial legislature in 2009, and lost all of its seats in the provincial legislature in 2014.
In the 2009 elections, the party won 66,086 votes (0.37% of the national total), and two seats in Parliament, representing a loss of approximately 50% of its support, and one seat, from the preceding elections.
In the provincial elections, their support dropped from 8.49% and three seats in the 2004 North West provincial election,[6] to 5.27% and two seats in 2009. In 2009, in six of the other provinces, they gained less than 0.1% support.
In the 2014 elections, the party slumped further, losing all of its provincial and national seats.
After the 2021 municipal elections, the UCDP retains a small presence at local level with elected representatives in five municipalities, all in the North West.
The party's mission statement stresses the need for Christian values, non-racial democracy, and government inducements for personal self-reliance, while the 2004 manifesto attacked the ANC for, among other things, its alleged softness on crime, nepotism, and neglect of South African infrastructure.[7]
A 2003 survey conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council found that 85% of UCDP voters were female.[8]
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "SABCNews - UCDP elects former secretary-general as leader". Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
- ^ "Mangope's bid to stop UCDP Federal Congress fails". Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
- ^ "UCDP president dies - IOL News".
- ^ "Our Members – UCDP". Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ^ "Election Results North West". Archived from the original on 19 March 2007. Retrieved 16 December 2008.
- ^ "United Christian Democratic Party" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 October 2007. Retrieved 16 December 2008.
- ^ "DIRECTORIES Media". Archived from the original on 13 February 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2008.