No, the United Australia Party isn't dead - they're running in the Victorian election

Claims that the party is "dead" have spread after they were deregistered.

With millions reportedly spent, some believed the United Australia Party would have picked up a couple of seats at the federal election.

Instead, they only got 1 - a senate seat in Victoria, won by Ralph Babet.

Now, the party has made the move to deregister itself with the Australian Electoral Commission.

The news went viral on social media, with tweets going viral - and TikTok videos picking up tens of thousands of likes.

But the claim that the UAP is now dead might not be accurate.

Clive Palmer himself says the UAP will be registered before the 2025 federal election and the deregistration move means less work behind-the-scenes in the meantime.

Senator Babet has again confirmed the party will be running upper house candidates in the Victorian election, somewhat of a smaller electoral field compared to what they did at the federal election.

That itself led to incorrect claims the party had missed the cut-off time to apply, however the Victorian Electoral Commission website shows they did put in an application before the deadline.

Today, the VEC registered the party alongside the Freedom Party of Victoria. At the same time, the Legalise Marijuana Party pulled out of the race.

According to News Corp, while there is a $500 fee to register a party, the AEC does not list any costs for ongoing registration.

The UAP was first registered as the Palmer United Party before the 2013 election, deregistered in 2017 after losing all their seats the year before, before returning to the political stage in 2018.

Palmer says there are no plans to run in the Queensland election in 2024.

Election & political expert Kevin Bonham told 6 News that "Babet remains a UAP Senator and is not an independent."

"There has at this stage been no indication that the Senate will refuse to continue to recognise Babet as a UAP Senator, and he continues to be shown as a UAP Senator on the APH website."

"As far as I can determine the situation is unprecedented...I can find no previous case of a party voluntarily deregistering while having an MP who continued to represent as a member of that party."

Watch our full fact-check here.

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