Freedom Front Plus - History

History

The Freedom Front was founded on 1 March 1994 by members of the Afrikaner right under Constand Viljoen. Viljoen was widely regarded as a moderate right-wing personality. At this stage, none of the Afrikaner right-wing parties had registered for the 1994 elections and had refused to do so on the grounds that they viewed the election as unconstitutional. In a move that surprised other right-wing parties, Viljoen registered the Freedom Front with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) on 4 March 1994 to take part in the April 1994 general elections. (This date has also been given as 7 March.) On 12 March 1994 Viljoen handed in a list of candidates for the FF to the IEC, confirming that his party would take part in the elections.

In the election, under the leadership of General Viljoen, the Freedom Front received 2.2% of the national vote (with 424,555 votes cast) and nine seats in the National Assembly. The party performed especially well in the northern parts of the country, earning 4-6% of the votes in the Northern Cape, Free State, North West, Gauteng and Mpumalanga. In the 1999 election their support dropped to 0.8% (127,217 votes cast) with three seats in the National Assembly and between 1-2% in their stronghold provinces. In 2001, Viljoen handed over the leadership of the Freedom Front to Dr. Pieter Mulder.

In 2003, shortly before the 2004 general election, the Conservative Party, the Afrikaner Eenheids Beweging and the Freedom Front decided to contest the election as a single entity under the name Freedom Front Plus (FF+), led by Dr. Mulder. Later, also the Federal Alliance joined the VF+/FF+.

In the 2004 general election, support for the Freedom Front rose slightly to 0.89% (139,465 votes cast). The party won one seat in most of the provincial legislatures, and four seats in the National Assembly.

In the 2006 municipal elections, the Freedom Front Plus received 1% of the popular vote (252,253 votes cast).

In the 2009 general election, the party received 0.83% (146,796 votes cast) and retained its four seats in the National Assembly. The party also enjoyed a landslide win in the Afrikaner enclave Orania. After the elections, the Freedom Front's leader Pieter Mulder was appointed as Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries by the new President Jacob Zuma.