Forum Party
Encyclopedia
The Forum Party of Zimbabwe (FPZ) was a conservative political party in Zimbabwe
.
The Forum party was formed in March 1993 and was led by a former Zimbabwean Chief Justice Enoch Dumbutshena
. It was formed by a merge between the Forum for Democratic Reform (Trust), which Dumbutshena had led, and the Open Forum.
The party called for powers to be devolved to the provinces
and government expenditure to be cut, for instance by cutting the number of cabinet minister
s from 43 to 14. The party soon became the biggest of the opposition parties, and analysts saw it as a serious threat to the dominance of the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front.
However by the 1995 parliamentary elections
the party was suffering from internal divisions, with a breakaway group forming a rival Forum Party for Democracy. The party stood only 28 candidates in the 1995 elections and failed to gain any seats, winning 5.9% of the vote.
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
.
The Forum party was formed in March 1993 and was led by a former Zimbabwean Chief Justice Enoch Dumbutshena
Enoch Dumbutshena
Enoch Dumbutshena was a distinguished Zimbabwean judge known for defending the independence of that country's judicial branch. He became Zimbabwe's first black judge in 1980 and served as Chief Justice from 1984 to 1990. Dumbutshena's decisions were often highly critical of President Robert Mugabe...
. It was formed by a merge between the Forum for Democratic Reform (Trust), which Dumbutshena had led, and the Open Forum.
The party called for powers to be devolved to the provinces
Provinces of Zimbabwe
|Zimbabwe is divided into 8 provinces and 2 cities with provincial status:-See also:*Districts of Zimbabwe*Municipalities of Zimbabwe*List of provincial governors of Zimbabwe*ISO 3166-2:ZW-External links:*...
and government expenditure to be cut, for instance by cutting the number of cabinet minister
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
s from 43 to 14. The party soon became the biggest of the opposition parties, and analysts saw it as a serious threat to the dominance of the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front.
However by the 1995 parliamentary elections
Zimbabwean parliamentary election, 1995
The Zimbabwe Parliamentary election of 1995 was held on April 8-9 to elect members to the House of Assembly of Zimbabwe. The ruling Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front won an overwhelming majority of the seats . There were 120 constituencies but 55 members were returned...
the party was suffering from internal divisions, with a breakaway group forming a rival Forum Party for Democracy. The party stood only 28 candidates in the 1995 elections and failed to gain any seats, winning 5.9% of the vote.