Zambia
Zambia, 1964 to today. Draft, not yet reviewed
On 24 October 1964, Zambia became independent of the United Kingdom as a republic in the Commonwealth, and prime minister Kenneth Kaunda became the inaugural president. From 1972 to 1991, Zambia was a one-party state with UNIP as the sole legal political party under the motto "One Zambia, One Nation" coined by Kaunda. Following the introduction of a multiparty system in the early 1990s, Kaunda was defeated in the 1991 Zambian general election. In the 2021 Zambian general election 2021, Lungu was defeated by Hichilema.
Seat of power: Lusaka
Rulers
Kenneth Kaunda
President of Zambia, 1964–1991
He served as the first president of Zambia from 1964 to 1991. In 1973, following tribal and inter-party violence, all political parties except UNIP were banned through an amendment of the constitution after the signing of the Choma Declaration. Multi-party elections took place in 1991, in which Frederick Chiluba, the leader of the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy, ousted Kaunda.
Portrait of Kenneth Kaunda: Unknown photographer, Public domain, file
Frederick Chiluba
President of Zambia, 1991–2002
He was the second president of Zambia from 1991 to 2002. Chiluba, a trade union leader, won the country's multi-party presidential election in 1991 as the candidate of the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD), defeating long-time President Kenneth Kaunda. He was re-elected in 1996.
Portrait of Frederick Chiluba: European Communities, 1994 / EC - Audiovisual Service, CC BY 4.0, file
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Levy Mwanawasa
President of Zambia, 2002–2008
He served as president from January 2002 until his death in August 2008. Mwanawasa is credited with having initiated a campaign to rid the corruption situation in Zambia during his term.
Portrait of Levy Mwanawasa: International Monetary Fund, Public domain, file
Rupiah Banda
President of Zambia, 2008–2011
He served as the fourth president of Zambia from 2008 to 2011, taking over from Levy Mwanawasa. During the 2008 elections, he narrowly won against opposition leader Michael Sata of the Patriotic Front. He was later defeated in the 2011 election and succeeded by Sata.
Portrait of Rupiah Banda: Antonio Cruz/ABr, CC BY-SA 2.5, file
Michael Sata
President of Zambia, 2011–2014
He served as the fifth president of Zambia from 2011 until his death in 2014. After ten years in opposition, Sata defeated Banda, the incumbent, to win the September 2011 presidential election with a plurality of the vote.
Portrait of Michael Sata: European Communities, 2014 / EC - Audiovisual Service, CC BY 4.0, file
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Guy Scott
President of Zambia, 2014–2015
He served as acting president of Zambia from 2014 to 2015 and was the 12th vice president from 2011 to 2014. Scott became acting president upon Michael Sata's death in office on 28 October 2014.
Portrait of Guy Scott: Office of the White House (Amanda Lucidon), Public domain, file
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Edgar Lungu
President of Zambia, 2015–2021
He served as the sixth president of Zambia from 26 January 2015 to 24 August 2021. In the election, he narrowly defeated opposition candidate Hakainde Hichilema and took office on 25 January 2015. Lungu was elected to a full presidential term in the August 2016 election, again narrowly defeating Hichilema.
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Hakainde Hichilema
President of Zambia, 2021 to today
He is the seventh and current president of Zambia since 24 August 2021. He has led the United Party for National Development since 2006, following the death of party founder Anderson Mazoka. After having contested five previous presidential elections, he won the 2021 presidential election.
Portrait of Hakainde Hichilema: Presidenza della Repubblica, Attribution, file
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Culture
- Zambia is a landlocked country in Southern Africa.
- The population is concentrated mainly around Lusaka in the south and the Copperbelt Province to the north, the core economic hubs of Zambia.
- The territory of Zambia was known as "Northern Rhodesia" from 1911 to 1964. It was renamed "Zambia" in October 1964 on its independence from British rule.
- The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) is headquartered in Lusaka.
Picture
Lusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia.
Image: Matthew Grollnek, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.