Centre Party (Rhodesia)
The Centre Party (CP) was a centre-left political party in Rhodesia. Founded in 1968, it was a multiracial party opposed to the policies of the country's Rhodesian Front-dominated white minority government. It dissolved in 1977.
Centre Party | |
|---|---|
| Leader | Pat Bashford |
| Deputy Leader | Charles Lazarus |
| Founded | 28 August 1968 |
| Dissolved | January 1977 |
| Merger of | United Federal Party |
| Succeeded by | National Unifying Force |
| Headquarters | Salisbury, Rhodesia |
| Ideology | Anti-racism Centrism Liberalism |
| Political position | Centre-left |
| Colors | Blue |
| |
In 1968, a group of white Rhodesians, many of whom were associated with opposition leader Sir Edgar Whitehead, decided to reorganize. Led by Pat Bashford, they founded the Centre Party, a multiracial party opposed to Prime Minister Ian Smith's ruling Rhodesian Front. Its platform supported a non-racial franchise and elimination of racial discrimination. The party never gained any white seats in Parliament, but in 1970 seven black members were elected. The Centre Party's support for the 1972 Pearce Commission proposals eroded its support among blacks, many of whom left and joined the African National Council. In 1977, the party merged with the Rhodesia Party to form the National Unifying Force.