Congress of the People (South African political party)

The Congress of the People ( COPE ) is a social liberal South African party that was founded in 2008 by former members of the ruling African National Congress ( ANC).

History

Foundation

Within the ANC there were 2005 to 2008 a power struggle between the camp of former President Thabo Mbeki and his former deputy president Jacob Zuma. Due to corruption charges Zuma had been dismissed by Mbeki in 2005 as Vice President, however, Zuma sat in the further course of the power struggle by the end of 2007 as the new party chairman. In autumn 2008, followed Mbeki's downfall as President of South Africa by the new ANC leadership. Since Jacob Zuma lacked the necessary for this seat in parliament, Motlanthe became the new president.

Even in his choice Zuma as party leader tensions within the ANC had stepped to the fore, the more intensified with the replacement of Mbeki as president. While Mbeki pursued a liberal economic policy and occurs rather distant, Zuma is attributable to the left wing and very popular. Moreover wore ethnic tensions between Zulu and Xhosa, represented by Jacob Zuma and Thabo Mbeki, on the conflict at. As a result, a group of former ANC members to Mosiuoa Lekota from the party stepped out and began the formation of a new party to advance.

At the inaugural meeting in Bloemfontein mid-December 2008 chose the approximately 4000 delegates Mosiuoa Lekota as party leader. Deputy party chairman were Mbhazima Shilowa and Lynda Odendaal. Thus the past provisional guidance with Lekota and Shilowa was confirmed. The official registration as a party and recognition as such by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) on 19 December 2008.

2009 parliamentary elections

The party entered 2009 for the first time to a general election. On January 24, adopted COPE to choose its election manifesto, which contains the requirement, the President and the Prime Minister and Mayor directly. In addition, fighting crime and helping the poor are at the forefront of the program. Presidential candidate was Mvume Dandala. In the elections on 22 April 2009 COPE reached 7.42 percent of the vote, narrowly missing the target set. After the ANC and the DA COPE was the third-strongest force in parliament. Your group leader was Mvume Dandala.

Leadership battle

In 2010, a power struggle developed for leadership of the party between Lekota and Shilowa. On May 29, 2010, the delegates of Party Congress spoke in a vote of no confidence against Lekota as chairman from. A week later, the Supreme Court declared that vote in Johannesburg, due to procedural errors void. In protest against the power struggle Mvume Dandala resigned with effect from 15 July 2010 from Group Chair and as a member of parliament. The Bureau (congress national committee ) of the party decided that Lekota to take over both parliamentary seat as well as the group's presidency. Against this decision Shilowa went before the court, lost the case, however.

Legal dispute over the name

The new party first planned the name of the South African National Congress to assume. Due to the resistance of the ANC, this plan was abandoned. The ANC tried the new party then also to let prohibit the use of the name Congress of the People of court. It has been argued that the name of the historic Congress of the People in 1955 and there wrote Freedom Charter allude. However, this was a part of the history of the ANC, and no other party could take this historic event can claim. The judicial appeal has now been withdrawn.