Lord Richard Cecil well established links with Rhodesia, the capital city of which was named Salisbury after the third Marquess (it was renamed Harare in 1982 on the second anniversary of Zimbabwean independence). The family had extensive land holdings in the country and the fifth Marquess (Lord Richard's grandfather) was a leading British supporter of the white minority UDI government that ruled Rhodesia from 1965-1979. Lord Richard was the eldest of the younger brothers of Robert Cecil, Viscount Cranborne, who has been both an MP and the Leader of the House of Lords. In 2003, Cranborne became 7th Marquess of Salisbury upon the
1985 Zimbabwean parliamentary election Eventually, in April 1985, the Independent Zimbabwe Group was formed in preparation for the election. Generally, whites in Harare and Bulawayo had little complaint about the conduct of government, having seen little change in their lifestyles. There was therefore a genuine contest in the Zimbabwean white community between the Conservative Alliance of Zimbabwe (the renamed Rhodesian Front), advocating strong defence of white interests, and the Independent Zimbabwe Group, advocating conciliation and partnership with ZANU (PF). The House of Assembly of Zimbabwe consisted at this time of 100 seats, of which 20 were reserved for white voters, and the remaining 80