African Christian Democratic Party

African Christian Democratic Party
President Kenneth Meshoe
Founded 9 December 1993 (1993-12-09)
Headquarters 2 Fore Street, Alberton, Gauteng
Ideology Christian democracy
Social conservatism
Political position Centre-right to Right-wing
Colours Red and blue
National Assembly seats
3 / 400
Website
www.acdp.org.za

The African Christian Democratic Party is a South African political party founded in 1993. It consists mainly of conservative Christians and its doctrine concentrates mostly on social issues such as abortion, homosexuality and pornography. The leader of the party is Kenneth Meshoe.[1] As of 2016, the ACDP has three members in the South African Parliament.

Following the 2016 municipal elections, the ACDP joined with the much larger Democratic Alliance (DA) and several other smaller parties to form coalition governments in Nelson Mandela Bay, Johannesburg and Tshwane.

Policy

The party states that its platform is based on the biblical standard of reconciliation, justice, compassion, tolerance, peace and the sanctity of life, the individual, the family and community.

With regard to the sanctity of life, they are anti-abortion[2] and are pro-life in all other circumstances except with respect to the death penalty[3] for certain heinous crimes.[4]

The ACDP was the only party to vote against the adoption of the final version of the South African Constitution, for reason that it enshrined abortion on demand and the specific protection of sexual orientation.

Its 2000 manifesto opposed the promotion of condoms and safe sex as a way of preventing HIV transmission: "The ACDP feel strongly that the condom campaign must be abandoned and that abstinence and faithfulness in marriage must be promoted." The party supports abstinence-only policy.

The party opposed the provision of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act, 2007 which reduced the homosexual age of consent from 19 to 15, making it equal to the heterosexual age of consent.[5]

History

According to newspaper reports at the time, the ACDP was founded on 9 December 1993.[6] The party claims on its web site, however, that it was founded on 16 or 17 January 1994 (i.e. exactly one hundred days before South Africa's 1994 national elections).[7] This is because the party's first official congress took place 100 days before the elections.[8] The party's original manifesto included Christian norms, religious freedom, a freemarket system, and human rights under a federal governmental system.[9]

Election results

In its first election, the ACDP secured two seats in the national government. This made the ACDP the smallest of the seven parties in the national government of 1994. They also secured three seats in the provincial government. A year later, the ACDP won three seats in local government elections. From 1994 to 1999, four councillors from other political parties crossed the floor to join the ACDP.

In 1999, the ACDP won seven seats to become the sixth largest party in Parliament. The party also won its first seat on the National Council of Provinces. On provincial level, the party won four seats. A year later, the ACDP won 70 seats in the local government elections.

In 2004, the ACDP won 1.6% of the votes at national level[10] and 7% of the votes at provincial level.[11] They were now the seventh largest party, with 7 seats in the National Assembly.

The party lost 50% of its support in the 2009 elections, and continued to lose support in the 2014 elections, where it won 3 seats to slip to the ninth-largest party, as well as one provincial seat in the Western Cape.

National elections

Election Total votes Share of vote Seats +/– Government
1994 88,104 0.45%
2 / 400
 – in opposition
1999 228,975 1.43%
6 / 400
 Increase 4 in opposition
2004 250,272 1.60%
7 / 400
 Increase 1 in opposition
2009 142,658 0.81%
3 / 400
 Decrease 4 in opposition
2014 104,039 0.57%
3 / 400
 Steady ±0 in opposition

Provincial elections

Election Eastern Cape Free State Gauteng Kwazulu-Natal Limpopo Mpumalanga North-West Northern Cape Western Cape
% Seats % Seats % Seats % Seats % Seats % Seats % Seats % Seats % Seats
1994 0.51% 0/56 0.45% 0/30 0.61% 1/86 0.67% 1/81 0.38% 0/40 0.48% 0/30 0.35% 0/30 0.40% 0/30 1.20% 1/42
1999 0.96% 0/63 0.90% 0/30 1.16% 1/73 1.81% 1/80 1.10% 1/49 1.12% 0/30 0.94% 0/33 1.53% 0/30 2.79% 1/42
2004 0.78% 0/63 1.30% 1/30 1.64% 1/73 1.78% 2/80 1.26% 1/49 1.09% 0/30 1.07% 0/33 1.88% 1/30 3.44% 2/42
2009 0.53% 0/63 0.73% 0/30 0.87% 1/73 0.68% 1/80 0.69% 0/49 0.51% 0/30 0.69% 0/33 1.00% 0/30 1.47% 1/42
2014 0.33% 0/63 0.51% 0/30 0.62% 0/73 0.44% 0/80 0.48% 0/49 0.40% 0/30 0.53% 0/33 0.57% 0/30 1.02% 1/42

Municipal elections

Election Votes %
1995-96 66,985 0.8%
2000 1.3%
2006 74 918 1.1%
2011 165,602 0.6%
2016[12] 150,965 0.39%

Logo

The ACDP logo symbolises the party's biblical Christian principles. The two horizontal arrows signify drawing South Africans from different view points and affiliations towards the Christian cross. The vertical arrows illustrate the directions up towards God and down towards South African. The red border signifies the blood of Jesus Christ.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "WHO'S WHO - Presidency". Retrieved 2008-12-18.
  2. ↑ http://www.acdp.org.za/issues/abortion.asp
  3. ↑ http://www.acdp.org.za/issues/cappunishment.asp
  4. ↑ http://www.acdp.org.za/elections/downloads/votersguide.zip
  5. ↑ "ACDP | Age Of Sexual Consent". acdp.org.za. Retrieved 2014-05-27.
  6. ↑ "Beeld JOHANNESBURG FINAAL Vrydag 10 Desember 1993 Bl. 15: Nuwe politieke party in Jhb gestig". 152.111.1.88. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2014-05-27.
  7. ↑ "ACDP | Our History". acdp.org.za. Retrieved 2014-05-27.
  8. ↑ "Samuel Murray - What happened on 16/17 January 1994? The... | Facebook". facebook.com. Retrieved 2014-05-27.
  9. ↑ "Beeld LAAT Dinsdag 14 Desember 1993 Bl. 14: Nuutgestigte ACDP behou term Christen". 152.111.1.88. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2014-05-27.
  10. ↑ "Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC)". elections.org.za. Retrieved 2014-05-27.
  11. ↑ "Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC)". elections.org.za. Retrieved 2014-05-27.
  12. ↑ "Results Summary - All Ballots" (PDF). elections.org.za. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  13. ↑ "ACDP | Our Logo". acdp.org.za. Retrieved 2014-05-27.

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