Referendum Party | |
|---|---|
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| Abbreviation | RP |
| Leader | Phil Craig |
| Founded | 9 November 2023 |
| Preceded by | Cape Independence Advocacy Group (CIAG) |
| Headquarters | 2nd Floor The Old Tannery 1 Herman road Wellington Western Cape |
| Ideology | Single-issue politics (Cape independence) |
| Provincial Affiliation | CapeXit Election Accord[1] |
| Colours | Navy and Gold |
| Slogan | Our Cape. Our Future. Our Choice! |
| Website | |
| www | |
The Referendum Party (RP) is a single-issue political party in South Africa established to compete in the 2024 general election and force the Western Cape premier to call a referendum on Cape independence as its coalition condition. The party was founded in November 2023 in response to Western Cape premier Alan Winde denying the Western Cape a referendum on Cape independence in October 2023.[2]
The Referendum Party does not seek to remove the Democratic Alliance (DA) from the Western Cape government, but to demand the Premier call a referendum as their coalition condition. As such, the party attempted to join the DA's Multi-Party Charter (MPC) national alliance, however the party application was rejected due to the party's singular support for Cape independence.[3] This is despite fellow MPC member the Freedom Front Plus (FF+) also being in favour of Cape independence.[4]
The FF+, RP and CapeXit NPO separately signed an electoral pact binding the parties to require a referendum on independence as part of any coalition condition in the Western Cape.[5]
The party is led by Phil Craig, who was previously involved in the founding of the Cape Independence Advocacy Group.[6] According to Craig, the Referendum Party is styled after the Brexit Party and Brexit Party members were consulted to help inform the party's policies.[7]
- ^ "The Referendum Party signs CapeXit election accord". Referendum Party (News). Retrieved 20 May 2024.
- ^ Goodall, Keely. "Referendum Party: It's undemocratic to NOT call Cape Independence referendum". Cape Talk. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
- ^ Goba, Thabiso. "Multi-Party Charter snubs Referendum Party as 'devisive'". EWN. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ "Independence update | VF+ affirms support, IEC troubles for RP and CIP | The Cape Independent". www.capeindependent.com. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ "The Referendum Party signs CapeXit election accord". Referendum Party (News). Retrieved 20 May 2024.
- ^ "Phil Craig puts his money where his mouth is". www.capeindependence.org. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
- ^ "Why we're launching the Referendum Party - OPINION - Politicsweb". www.politicsweb.co.za. Retrieved 15 November 2023.