The politics of Zambia takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic,whereby the president of Zambia is head of state,head of government and leader of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government,while legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament. Formerly Northern Rhodesia,Zambia became a republic immediately upon attaining independence in October 1964.
The United Party for National Development (UPND) is a prominent political party in Zambia,founded in December 1998 by Anderson Mazoka,a former executive of the Anglo American Corporation. The party emerged as a significant opposition force following a split from the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD). The UPND positions itself as a centrist party with strong ideological commitments to social and economic liberalism,advocating for policies that support free-market principles,human rights,and democratic governance.
The Patriotic Front (PF) is a political party in Zambia,founded in 2001 by Michael Sata. It emerged as a breakaway party from the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) after Sata was not selected as the MMD's presidential candidate for the 2001 elections. The PF is primarily supported by the youth and the urban poor,and it gained significant political influence over time.
Hakainde Hichilema is a Zambian businessman,farmer,and politician who is the seventh and current president of Zambia since 24 August 2021. After having contested five previous elections in 2006,2008,2011,2015 and 2016,he won the 2021 presidential election with 59.02% of the vote. He has led the United Party for National Development since 2006 following the death of the party founder Anderson Mazoka.
Given Lubinda is a Zambian politician who served in the Cabinet of Zambia as Minister of Justice. He is a former Member of Parliament for the National Assembly of Zambia for Kabwata Constituency in Lusaka. He was first elected as Kabwata MP in 2001 under the UPND ticket and was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2012 to 2013. Following the retirement of Edgar Lungu from active politics after the 2021 election,Given Lubinda was the acting president of the former ruling party,the Patriotic Front. However,Edgar Lungu returned to active politics in October 2023 and he was handed back the Patriotic Front presidency,with Given Lubinda being appointed as the party's vice-president,a position he held before Lungu's retirement after the 2021 election. Lubinda is of mixed-race parentage. He is known as an outspoken politician.
Guy Lindsay Scott is a Zambian politician,who served as acting President of Zambia from 2014 to 2015,and was the Vice President from 2011 to 2014.
Presidential elections were held in Zambia on 20 January 2015 to elect a president to serve the remainder of the term of President Michael Sata,following his death on 28 October 2014.
General elections were held in Zambia on 11 August 2016 to elect the President and National Assembly. A constitutional referendum was held alongside the elections,with proposals to amend the bill of rights and Article 79.
Christine Kaseba is a Zambian physician,surgeon and politician who served as the First Lady of Zambia from September 2011 until her husband's death in October 2014. She is the widow of former President Michael Sata,who died in office on October 28,2014. Kaseba made an unsuccessful bid for President of Zambia in the January 2015 special presidential election to succeed her husband. She was appointed Zambian Ambassador to France on April 16,2018.
Edgar Chagwa Lungu is a Zambian politician who served as the sixth president of Zambia from 26 January 2015 to 24 August 2021. Under President Michael Sata,Lungu served as Minister of Justice and Minister of Defence. Following Sata's death in October 2014,Lungu was adopted as the candidate of the Patriotic Front in a Convention of the Patriotic Front in Kabwe,for the January 2015 presidential by-election,which was to determine who would serve out the remainder of Sata's term. In the election,he narrowly defeated opposition candidate Hakainde Hichilema and took office on 25 January 2015.
Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba is a Zambian businessman and politician who served as Member of Parliament for Kasama Central from 2009 to 2016. He later served as Vice President of the United Party for National Development. Under the Patriotic Front government of President Michael Sata,he served as Minister of Defence from 2011 to 2013.
Irene Chirwa Mambilima was the Chief Justice of Zambia from 2015 until her death in 2021. She also served as Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Zambia and presided over the 2006 and 2011 general elections and the January 2015 presidential by-election. She was part of several election observer missions including in Liberia,Kenya,Mozambique,and Seychelles. Her other international assignments included serving as Sessional Judge of the Supreme Court of The Gambia in 2003. Mambilima sat on the International Board of the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) as a Director of the Africa Region. She was also a member of several professional associations including the Zambia Association of Women Judges,the Editorial Board Council of Law Reporting,the Child Fund (Zambia),Women in Law Southern Africa,and the Council of the Institution of Advanced Legal Education.
Felix Chipota Mutati is a Zambian politician and leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party. Mutati did not run for a Member of Parliament seat in the 2021 Zambian general election and received a nominated seat by the president. As a nominated Member of Parliament,he was appointed Minister of Technology and Science on 17 September 2021 by the ruling Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema.
Likando Kalaluka,State Counsel,is a Zambian legal practitioner who served as Attorney General under the government headed by President Edgar Lungu. He is a lawyer and advocate of the High Court for Zambia. Kalaluka is currently serving as the Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education (ZIALE) board chairman. As Attorney General,Kalaluka was an assistant cabinet member and assistant legal adviser to the Zambian Government.
Sylvia Masebo is a Zambian entrepreneur,politician,and National Assembly of Zambia representative for Chongwe constituency with the United Party for National Development (UPND). Sylvia Masebo holds a degree in Banking and Finance. She first stood on the ticket of Zambian Republican Party (ZRP) in 2001,then the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) in 2003,then the Patriotic Front (PF) in 2011,and then the UPND in 2021.
Highvie Hambulo Hamududu is a Zambian politician. He served as Member of the National Assembly for Bweengwa between 2006 and 2016.
Emmanuel Tawanda Chenda is a Zambian politician and diplomat. He served as Member of the National Assembly for Bwana Mkubwa between 2011 and 2016. He also held the posts of Minister of Agriculture and Livestock,Minister of Commerce,Trade and Industry and Minister of Local Government and Housing between 2011 and 2015. In November 2017 he was appointed Ambassador to neighbouring Zimbabwe.
Sydney Mushanga is a Zambian politician. He currently serves as Member of the National Assembly for Bwacha.
General elections were held in Zambia on 12 August 2021 to elect the President,National Assembly,mayors,council chairs and councillors. Hakainde Hichilema of the United Party for National Development was elected president,defeating incumbent Edgar Lungu of the Patriotic Front.
Edgar Lungu's eligibility to run in the 2026 Elections remains a contentious and ongoing legal issue. Lungu,who served as the sixth President of Zambia from January 2015 to August 2021,assumed office following the death of President Michael Sata. After winning the 2015 presidential election and being re-elected in 2016,he was defeated by Hakainde Hichilema in the 2021 general election. The controversy centers on whether his partial term from 2015 should count towards the two-term limit stipulated by the Zambian Constitution.
