United Party (Ghana)

The United Party (UP) was a political party in Ghana, founded in January 1958.

It was established as the only opposition party in addition to the ruling party Convention People's Party of Kwame Nkrumah. Through a constitutional amendment was Ghana in 1964 to one-party state. The ruling party was dissolved Nkrumah 's National Unity Party, UP.

After independence in 1957

Soon after the independence of Ghana on March 6, 1957, a law to prevent discrimination ( avoidence of Discrimination Act 1957, CA 38 ) was adopted on the initiative of the then Prime Minister Kwame Nkrumah and later president of Ghana. This law forbade any group with an orientation based on ethnic, religious, regional or similar purposes with effect from 31 December 1957.

The full title of the Act was:

Law on the Prohibition of organizations that use propaganda to belonging to a tribe, a region, a race or a religion or use to the detriment of a community or to the election of persons because of their membership in a tribe, region or religion or similar securing purposes. (English: An Act to prohibit Organizations using or engaging in tribal, regional, racial and religious propaganda of to the detriment of any community, or Securing the election of persons on account of Their tribal, regional or religious affiliations and for other purpuse connected there with. )

Establishment of the UP

Almost the entire opposition was with this law almost overnight in an illegal group, although it was partly in the Legislative Assembly ( Legislative Assembley ) present. To avoid this an official policy of banning by the High Court, joined the following political parties that were covered by the ban, the UP together:

The Ghana Congress Party under the later Prime Minister Kofi Busia Abrefa also went up in the UP and Busia took over the party presidency of UP. Almost all major opposition politicians of that time were organized in the UP. Mention may be made, among others, J. B. Danquah, founder of the first party of Ghana ( United Gold Coast Convention ), Emmanuel Obetsebi - Lamptey, later founder of the Nationalist Party, Victor Owusu, repeated Ghanaian Foreign Minister and presidential candidate of his later party Popular Front Party and Nii Amaa Ollennu, briefly head of state of Ghana and Chairman of the National Democratic Party.

Political direction

The United Party is the successor party of the Ghana Congress Party, in turn, part of the cleaved United Gold Coast Convention have been merged, essential key point to justify the Danquah - Busia tradition. Even in today's two- party system in Ghana, still act the two opposing currents of the Danquah - Busia UP with perspective and on the other side of the Nkrumahristen. The Nkrumahristen are considered socialist core flow in the country.

Successor party to the UP was the Progress Party, also under the chairmanship of Busia.

The orientation of the Danquah - Busia bourgeois-liberal tradition, however, is more likely to find the right political spectrum. In essence, this policy direction pursued in Ghana and thus the UP the multi-party system, the free market economy, popular sovereignty and the rule of law.

Election results

The UP took part only in the presidential elections of 27 April 1960. Here joined J. B. Danquah as a candidate for the single opposition party UP against the ruling party CPP and defeated, with almost 12 percent of the vote.

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