Editing Freedom Front Plus (section)

==History==
===Origins as the Freedom Front (1994{{ndash}}2003)===
The Freedom Front was founded on 1 March 1994 by members of the [[Afrikaners|Afrikaner community]] under [[Constand Viljoen]], after he had left the [[Afrikaner Volksfront]] amidst disagreements. Seeking to achieve his goals through electoral means, Viljoen registered the Freedom Front with the [[Independent Electoral Commission (South Africa)|Independent Electoral Commission]] (IEC) on 4 March 1994 to take part in the April [[South African general election, 1994|1994 general elections]] (This date has also been given as 7 March).{{citation needed|date=September 2023}} 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 Viljoen, the Freedom Front received 2.2% of the national vote (with 424,555 votes cast), earning nine seats in the [[National Assembly of South Africa|National Assembly]], and 3.3% (with 639,643 votes cast) of the combined vote to the nine provincial legislatures. This suggested that many Afrikaners had split their vote. The party performed the best in the rural areas of the former [[Transvaal Province|Transvaal]] and [[Orange Free State Province|Orange Free State]], and was noted by the new deputy president [[Thabo Mbeki]] as representing possibly as much as half the Afrikaner voting population in these areas, with the strongest support among farmers and the working class.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.politicsweb.co.za/news-and-analysis/unmandated-reflections--thabo-mbeki|title=Unmandated reflections - Thabo Mbeki - NEWS & ANALYSIS - Politicsweb|website=www.politicsweb.co.za|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918070650/http://www.politicsweb.co.za/news-and-analysis/unmandated-reflections--thabo-mbeki|archive-date=18 September 2016}}</ref>

Freedom Front support gradually eroded in the coming years, as the party was strung along in ultimately fruitless negotiations with the [[African National Congress]] (ANC) to create a [[Volkstaat]] making the party lose its importance. It would also receive increased competition from new parties such as the [[Afrikaner Eenheidsbeweging]]. In the [[South African general election, 1999|1999 election]] their support dropped to 0.8% (127,217 votes cast) with three seats in the National Assembly and between 1 and 2% in its stronghold provinces. This represented a respectable portion of the Afrikaner vote, but nowhere near earlier levels. The party's support remained relatively stable in all national elections held during the next twenty years.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dhawraj |first=Ronesh |date=2024-02-29 |title=OPINION: Electoral data points to FF+ doing even better in 2024 polls |url=https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/opinion-electoral-data-points-to-ff-doing-even-better-in-2024-polls |access-date=2024-08-23 |website=Voice of the Cape |language=en-GB}}</ref>

In 2001, Viljoen retired and [[Pieter Mulder]] was elected as leader.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cape |first=Voice of the |date=2016-11-14 |title=Stepping down as FF Plus leader was imperative: Mulder |url=https://www.vocfm.co.za/stepping-down-as-ff-plus-leader-was-imperative-mulder/ |access-date=2024-08-23 |website=Voice of the Cape |language=en-GB}}</ref>

===Formation of the FF+ and early years (2003{{ndash}}2016)===
{{More citations needed section|date=November 2021}}
[[File:Freedom Front old logo.svg|left|150px|thumb|Freedom Front logo between 1994 and 2003]]
In 2003, shortly before the [[2004 South African general election|2004 general election]], the [[Conservative Party (South Africa)|Conservative Party]], the [[Afrikaner Eenheidsbeweging]] and the Freedom Front decided to contest the election as a single entity under the name Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus or FF+), led by Mulder. Later, the [[Federal Alliance (South Africa)|Federal Alliance]] also joined the VF+/FF+.

Under Mulder's leadership the party's support remained relatively stable.

In the [[2004 South African general election|2004 general election]], support for the Freedom Front Plus 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 South African municipal election|2006 municipal elections]], the FF Plus received 1% of the popular vote (252,253 votes cast).

In the [[2009 South African general election|2009 general election]], the party received 0.83% (146,796 votes cast) and retained its four seats in the National Assembly but lost its seats in the provincial legislatures of North West, Mpumalanga and Northern Cape. After the elections, the FF Plus's leader Pieter Mulder was appointed as Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries by the new President [[Jacob Zuma]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Statement by President Jacob Zuma on the appointment of the new Cabinet {{!}} South African Government |url=https://www.gov.za/news/speeches/statement-president-jacob-zuma-appointment-new-cabinet-10-may-2009 |website=www.gov.za}}</ref>

In the [[2014 South African general election|2014 general election]], the FF Plus increased its vote slightly to 0.9%. It retained its 4 MPs, and also regained a seat in the North West.<ref>{{cite news |title=2014 Elections: Seats in Parliament |url=https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/2014-elections-seats-parliament |access-date=26 January 2020 |newspaper=sanews.gov.za |date=10 May 2014 |location=Pretoria}}</ref>

The party also enjoyed consistent landslide victories in the Afrikaner enclave [[Orania, Northern Cape|Orania]].<ref>{{cite web|date=23 April 2009|title=Orania votes for FF Plus|url=http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3086&art_id=nw20090423062148232C569880|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100218073313/http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3086&art_id=nw20090423062148232C569880|archive-date=18 February 2010|publisher=IOL}}</ref>{{efn|[[2024 South African general election|2004]] 84.95%, [[2009 South African general election|2009]] 86.73%, [[2014 South African general election|2014]] 76.89%, [[2019 South African general election|2019]] 79.40%, [[2024 South African general election|2024]] 65.62%}}

Along with other parties, the FF Plus entered into coalition with the [[Democratic Alliance (South Africa)|Democratic Alliance]] (DA) after the 2016 municipal elections to govern [[City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality|Johannesburg]], [[City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality|Tshwane]] and several other municipalities.

===Groenewald leadership and resurgence (2016{{ndash}}present)===
In 2016, [[Pieter Groenewald]] took over leadership of the FF Plus. He oversaw a pivot of the party away from being an exclusive abode for Afrikaners to that of one for all minorities, with a special focus on Afrikaans-speaking minorities.<ref>{{Cite web|title=FF+ to focus on interests of minority {{!}} eNCA|url=https://www.enca.com/news/ff-focus-interests-minority|access-date=2021-11-03|website=www.enca.com|language=en}}</ref> This was highlighted when the FF Plus and the Bruin Bemagtiging Beweging (Brown Movement) {{ndash}} an interest group focused on Coloureds led by [[Peter Marais]], the former premier of the Western Cape<ref>{{Cite web|date=2013|title=Brown Movement not a Political Party|url=https://www.news24.com/News24/Brown-Movement-not-a-political-party-20130618|website=News24}}</ref> {{ndash}} formed an official alliance.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Grant Marais of FF+ follows in his well-known father's political footsteps|url=https://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/news/grant-marais-of-ff-follows-in-his-well-known-fathers-political-footsteps-ddd341a2-1bfc-4bef-9c6e-66b73d8017f9|access-date=2021-11-03|website=www.iol.co.za|language=en}}</ref> This ultimately led to Marais being elected as the party's candidate for premier of the Western Cape for the 2019 elections.<ref>{{Cite web|title=ANALYSIS: The who, why and what of the Freedom Front Plus|url=https://www.news24.com/news24/elections/voices/analysis-the-who-why-and-what-of-the-freedom-front-plus-20190513|access-date=2021-12-02|website=News24|language=en-US}}</ref>

==== 2019 national and provincial elections ====
FF Plus voter support increased substantially in the [[2019 South African general election|2019 general election]], with the party growing its vote total by 250,000, to 2.38% of the national vote, earning ten seats in the National Assembly. This was more than the nine seats that the old Freedom Front had received in 1994. Additionally, it gained eight seats in the provincial legislatures, for a total of eleven. In the 2014 general election, the FF Plus won seats in three provincial legislatures, in 2019, it won seats in eight out of the nine provincial legislatures. Its new supporters were largely Afrikaners and [[Coloureds|Coloured]] voters from the [[Western Cape]] who had previously supported the DA.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Brandt|first1=Kevin|date=10 May 2019|title=Targeting minorities helped grow our support - FF Plus|newspaper=EWN|url=https://ewn.co.za/2019/05/10/ff-plus-believes-it-gained-support-in-nc-by-targeting-minorities|access-date=26 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Mailovich|first1=Claudi|date=9 May 2019|title=FF Plus defies expectations|newspaper=BusinessLIVE|url=https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/national/2019-05-09-ff-plus-on-track-to-being-biggest-success-story-of-election-2019/|access-date=26 January 2020}}</ref>

Following the [[2019 South African general election|2019 general election]], the FF Plus won three wards from the [[Democratic Alliance (South Africa)|Democratic Alliance]] (DA) in municipal by-elections in the [[North West (South African province)|North West]] Province and continued to show growth in various other municipal by-elections in [[Gauteng]], [[Limpopo]] and [[Mpumalanga]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sussman |first1=Wayne |title=FF+ makes loud statement in Stilfontein |url=https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2019-07-11-ff-makes-loud-statement-in-stilfontein/ |access-date=26 January 2020 |newspaper=The Daily Maverick |date=11 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Joubert |first1=Jan-Jan |title=Recent municipal ward by-elections result in losses for the DA |url=https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/municipal-ward-by-elections-losses-for-the-da/ |access-date=26 January 2020 |newspaper=The Daily Maverick |date=19 September 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Mamusa by-election: Good news for EFF, but DA slide against FF+ continues |url=https://citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/elections/2229204/mamusa-by-election-good-news-for-eff-but-da-slide-against-ff-continues/ |access-date=26 January 2020 |newspaper=The Citizen |date=16 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Head |first1=Tom |title=Schweizer-Reneke: DA disaster, as they lose third ward in six months to FF Plus |url=https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/schweizer-reneke-by-election-results-da-ff-plus-support/ |access-date=26 January 2020 |newspaper=The South African |date=16 January 2020}}</ref>

==== 2021 municipal elections and aftermath ====
In the run up to the [[2021 South African municipal elections|2021 local government elections]], the FF Plus adopted [[Cape Independence]] as an official party position. They and CapeXit had a joint election campaign in the Western Cape to highlight the party's stance on Cape Independence. Over 60% of the FF Plus's ward councillors standing in the Western Cape were Coloureds, with [[Lennit Max]] being the party's candidate for mayor of Cape Town.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gerber|first=Jan|title=FF Plus formally joins secessionist CapeXit in awareness campaign|url=https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/ff-plus-formally-joins-secessionist-capexit-in-awareness-campaign-20211025|access-date=2021-11-03|website=News24|language=en-US}}</ref> The party claims that their candidates are selected purely on merit in contrast to the DA.<ref>{{Cite web|title=I was a project for the DA, says Cape Town FF Plus mayor hopeful Lennit Max|url=https://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/i-was-a-project-for-the-da-says-cape-town-ff-plus-mayor-hopeful-lennit-max-72a0e14c-052f-4564-a15b-6cf2dfe15f0e|access-date=2021-11-03|website=www.iol.co.za|language=en}}</ref>

The FF Plus continued their gains in the Western Cape as a result, being in the [[kingmaker]] position in over 6 districts.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gerber|first=Jan|title=While the ANC and DA are on the wane, the FF Plus and PA gain|url=https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/while-the-anc-and-da-are-on-the-wane-the-ff-plus-and-pa-gain-20211102|access-date=2021-11-03|website=News24|language=en-US}}</ref> In 2022, FF Plus member Manicks Mpunwana became a city councilor in [[Bela-Bela]], becoming the first black South African to serve as a councilor from the FF Plus.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Boonzaaier |first=Dawie |date=2022-11-20 |title=FF Plus gets first black council rep |url=https://www.news24.com/citypress/politics/ff-plus-gets-first-black-council-rep-20221120 |access-date=2024-07-01 |website=City Press |language=en-US}}</ref>

==== 2024 election and Government of National Unity ====

In the [[2024 South African general election|2024 general election]], the FF Plus gave up many of the gains it had previously made against the DA, winning only six seats in Parliament (National Assembly) with 1.36% of the vote.<ref>{{cite web |title=Election Results and Allocation of Seats in Parliament (National Assembly) and Provincial Legislatures: 2024 |url=https://pmg.org.za/blog/Election%20Results%20and%20Allocation%20of%20Seats%20in%20Parliament%20National%20Assembly%20and%20Provincial%20Legislatures%202024 |access-date=2 August 2024 |website=pmg.org.za}}</ref>  In June 2024, Freedom Front Plus agreed to join the ANC-led [[Government of National Unity (South Africa)|government of national unity]] (GNU) also known as the [[Third Cabinet of Cyril Ramaphosa]]. The leader of the FF Plus, Pieter Groenewald, became [[Minister of Correctional Services (South Africa)|Minister of Correctional Services]] in the new Cabinet.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Groenewald |first1=Dr Pieter |title=Cabinet position in GNU offers FF Plus opportunity to actively contribute to restoring and rebuilding South Africa |url=https://www.vfplus.org.za/latest-news/cabinet-position-in-gnu-offers-ff-plus-opportunity-to-actively-contribute-to-restoring-and-rebuilding-south-africa/ |website=Freedom Front Plus |date=30 June 2024}}</ref> Following Groenewald's appointment, leadership changes occurred in the party's parliamentary caucus which saw [[Corné Mulder]] succeed Groenewald as parliamentary leader and [[Wouter Wessels]] succeed Mulder as chief whip.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wessels |first=Wouter |date=2024-07-22 |title=Minister’s post for FF Plus leader necessitates minor changes to party’s parliamentary leadership |url=https://www.vfplus.org.za/media-releases/ministers-post-for-ff-plus-leader-necessitates-minor-changes-to-partys-parliamentary-leadership/ |access-date=2025-02-22 |website=Freedom Front Plus |language=en-US}}</ref>

On 22 February 2025, Mulder was elected unopposed to succeed Groenewald as party leader after the latter chose not to seek re-election.<ref>{{Cite news |date=22 February 2025 |title=Dr. Corné Mulder takes over the helm at FF Plus |url=https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/1015872-2/ |access-date=22 February 2025 |work=SABC News}}</ref> However, Groenewald remained in his ministerial position.<ref>{{cite news |title=Pieter Groenewald steps down as FF Plus leader to focus on ministerial duties |url=https://plainsman.co.za/news/politics/2025-03-04-pieter-groenewald-steps-down-as-ff-plus-leader-to-focus-on-ministerial-duties/ |work=Plainsman |language=en}}</ref>