Center-right, francophone party with ties to the Catholic Church founded by Vanuatu's first francophone prime minister (February 23, 1996 to September 30, 1996) and former speaker of the parliament, Maxime Carlot Korman. Party was launched upon merger of the Union Communautés des Nouvelles Hebrides (UCNH) and the Mouvement Autonomiste des Nouvelles-Hebrides (MANH), both unified in their pre-independence opposition to the Vanua'aku Pati and instant statehood. UMP’s policy platform focuses on private investment and pro-development policies. The UMP has been led by Vanuatu's prime minister since November 4, 2022, Ishmael Kalsakau. Party support is based in Vanuatu's urban constituencies of Port Vila and Luganville [Union des partis moderés (UMP)].
