Movement for Multi-Party Democracy

Last updated
Movement for Multi-Party Democracy
AbbreviationMMD
Leader Nevers Mumba [1]
FoundedJuly 1990 (1990-07)
Ideology Social democracy
Third Way
Progressivism
Reformism
Political position Centre to centre-left
Colours  Blue
SloganThe Hour for New Hope
National Assembly
0 / 166
Pan African Parliament
1 / 5
Website
mmdzambia.org

The Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) also known as New Hope MMD [2] [3] is a political party in Zambia. Originally formed to oust the previous government, MMD controlled an absolute majority in parliament between 1991 and 2001, when its past leader, Frederick Chiluba was President of Zambia. Its election into power in 1991 ended the 27-year rule of President Kenneth Kaunda and his United National Independence Party (UNIP). It remained the dominant party within Zambian politics until the general elections of September 2011.

Contents

History

Formation and government

Growing opposition to UNIP's monopoly on power, due in part to economic problems and corruption, led to the formation of the MMD in July 1990, led by Frederick Chiluba, the head of the country's trade unions. [4] During that same year, pushed by internal and international pressure, Kaunda agreed to a referendum on the one-party state, but in the face of continued opposition, dropped the referendum and signed a constitutional amendment that relinquished UNIP's guaranteed right to rule.

Multi-party general elections were held on 31 October 1991, and saw the MMD sweep to power in a massive landslide. Chiluba was elected president with 76% of the vote to Kaunda's 24%, whilst the MMD won 125 of the 150 elected seats in the National Assembly. However, by the end of Chiluba's first five-year term as president, the MMD's commitment to political reform had faded in the face of re-election demands and several prominent members left to establish other parties.

Relying on the MMD's overwhelming majority in parliament, President Chiluba in May 1996 pushed through constitutional amendments that effectively eliminated former President Kaunda and other prominent opposition leaders from the 1996 general elections. As a result, UNIP boycotted the elections, allowing Chiluba to be easily re-elected with 73% of the vote, whilst the MMD won 131 of the 150 seats in the National Assembly. Afterward, however, several opposition parties and non-governmental organisations declared the elections neither free nor fair.

Early in 2001, supporters of President Chiluba mounted a campaign to amend the constitution to enable Chiluba to seek a third term of office; the campaign led to further breakaways from the MMD, including the Forum for Democracy and Development and the Heritage Party. Eventually civil society, opposition parties, and other MMD members exerted sufficient pressure on Chiluba to force him to back away from any attempt at a third term.

Levy Mwanawasa was selected as the MMD presidential candidate for the 2001 elections, winning with just 28% of the vote. Although the MMD remained the largest party in the National Assembly, it lost its majority after being reduced to 69 seats. Three parties submitted petitions to the High Court, challenging the election results. The petition remained under consideration by the courts in February 2003 when it was ruled that while there had been irregularities these had not been large enough to affect the outcome; thus the result was upheld. Opposition parties won a majority of parliamentary seats in the December, 2001 election, but subsequent by-elections and liberal use of government patronage to secure the support of opposition MPs gave the ruling MMD a slim majority in Parliament.

Mwanawasa was re-elected in the 2006 general elections with 43% of the vote, with the MMD winning 72 seats in the National Assembly.

Following the sudden death of Mwanawasa in August 2008, a presidential by-election was held. Rupiah Banda was chosen as the MMD candidate, and was elected with 40% of the national vote, narrowly defeating Michael Sata of the Patriotic Front (PF) by a margin of around 2%.

Opposition

However, the 2011 general elections saw Sata defeat Banda by a margin of 42%–35%, whilst the MMD won only 55 seats in the National Assembly to the PF's 60. The following year Nevers Mumba was elected as MMD president, defeating rival Felix Mutati and several other candidates.

2015 presidential by-elections

In the 2015 presidential by-election Former Party President Mr. Rupiah Banda returned from political retirement and claimed that he would be the candidate of the Party in that by election, whilst the Party through the National Executive Committee (NEC) backed its Party President Dr. Mumba. The Issue went to the Supreme Court and the Court ruled that Dr. Mumba as Party President had the right to run for President on the Party ticket.

The judgement was passed two weeks before the election date and partially due to that the MMD with Dr. Mumba as its candidate received just about 0.9%.

2016 illegal MMD convention

In May 2016, a group of former and expelled MMD members [5] elected former Lunte MP Felix Mutati as party president at a convention at the Mulungushi Rock of Authority in Kabwe, whilst the Party continued supporting Nevers Mumba. [6]

2019 Judge Newa Judgement

On the 9th of November 2019, High Court Judge Sharon Newa sitting in Lusaka ruled that the Convention that elected Felix Mutati as Party President was illegal and all decisions made between then and that date was declared null and vold. [7] It further ruled that Dr. Nevers Mumba was the MMD President and that Felix Mutati and Raphael Nakachinda remained expelled members of the MMD. [7]

Electoral history

Presidential elections

ElectionParty candidateVotes%Result
1991 Frederick Chiluba 972,21275.76%ElectedGreen check.svg
1996 913,77072.59%ElectedGreen check.svg
2001 Levy Mwanawasa 506,69429.15%ElectedGreen check.svg
2006 1,177,84642.98%ElectedGreen check.svg
2008 Rupiah Banda 718,35940.09%ElectedGreen check.svg
2011 987,86635.42%LostRed x.svg
2015 Nevers Mumba 14,6090.87%LostRed x.svg
2016 Did not take part
2021 Nevers Mumba 4,9680.10%LostRed x.svg

National Assembly elections

ElectionVotes%Seats+/–PositionResult
1991 931,94574.01%
125 / 159
Increase2.svg 125Increase2.svg 1stSupermajority government
1996 778,98960.88%
131 / 159
Increase2.svg 6Steady2.svg 1stSupermajority government
2001 490,68028.02%
69 / 159
Decrease2.svg 62Steady2.svg 1stMinority government
2006 1,059,52639.05%
72 / 159
Increase2.svg 3Steady2.svg 1stMinority government
2011 902,61933.44%
55 / 159
Decrease2.svg 17Decrease2.svg 2ndOpposition
2016 99,3562.71%
3 / 156
Decrease2.svg 52Decrease2.svg 3rdOpposition
2021 3,6650.08%
0 / 167
Decrease2.svg 3Decrease2.svg 10thExtra-parliamentary

Related Research Articles

The history of Zambia experienced many stages from colonisation to independence from Britain on 24 October 1964. Northern Rhodesia became a British sphere of influence in the present-day region of Zambia in 1888, and was officially proclaimed a British protectorate in 1924. After many years of suggested mergers, Southern Rhodesia, Northern Rhodesia, and Nyasaland were merged into the British Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Zambia</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederick Chiluba</span> Former President of Zambia (1991–2002)

Frederick Jacob Titus Chiluba was a Zambian politician who 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. As he was unable to run for a third term in 2001, former Vice President Levy Mwanawasa instead ran as the MMD candidate and succeeded him. After leaving office, Chiluba was the subject of a long investigation and trial regarding alleged corruption; he was eventually acquitted in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Levy Mwanawasa</span> Former President of Zambia (1948–2008)

Levy Patrick Mwanawasa was the third president of Zambia. 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. Prior to Mwanawasa's election, he served as the fourth vice-president of Zambia from November 1991 to July 1994, whilst an elected Member of Parliament of Chifubu Constituency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">President of Zambia</span> Head of state and of government in Zambia

The President of the Republic of Zambia is the head of state and head of government of Zambia and is the highest executive authority in the country. The President is elected by popular vote for a five-year term and is responsible for the administration of the government, overseeing the implementation of national policies, and representing Zambia in international affairs. The office was established at Zambia's independence in 1964. The current President is Hakainde Hichilema, who assumed office on August 24, 2021, following the 2021 presidential election where his party, the United Party for National Development, won a majority. The President's role includes appointing the Cabinet, serving as Commander-in-Chief of the Zambian Defence Force, and ensuring the enforcement of laws.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Party for National Development</span> Political party in Zambia

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United National Independence Party</span> Political party in Zambia

The United National Independence Party (UNIP) is a political party in Zambia. It governed the country from 1964 to 1991 under the socialist presidency of Kenneth Kaunda, and was the sole legal party in the country between 1973 and 1990. On 4 April 2021, Bishop Trevor Mwamba was elected President of UNIP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections in Zambia</span>

Elections in Zambia take place within the framework of a multi-party democracy and a presidential system. The President and National Assembly are simultaneously elected for five-year terms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patriotic Front (Zambia)</span> Social democratic political party in Zambia

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.

Peter Marvin William Daka is a Zambian politician. He served as a Member of the National Assembly for Msanzala from 2003 to 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Zambian general election</span>

General elections were held in Zambia on 28 September 2006 to elect a President, members of the National Assembly and local government councillors. The result was a victory for the ruling Movement for Multi-Party Democracy, which won 75 of the 150 National Assembly seats and whose candidate, Levy Mwanawasa, won the presidential vote. Voter turnout was just over 70%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Sata</span> Zambian politician (1937–2014)

Michael Charles Chilufya Sata was a Zambian politician who was the fifth president of Zambia, from 23 September 2011 until his death on 28 October 2014. A social democrat, he led the Patriotic Front (PF), a major political party in Zambia. Under President Frederick Chiluba, Sata was a minister during the 1990s as part of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) government. He went into opposition in 2001, forming the PF. As an opposition leader, Sata – popularly known as "The King Cobra", emerged as the leading opposition presidential contender and rival to President Levy Mwanawasa in the 2006 presidential election, but was defeated. Following Mwanawasa's death, Sata ran again and lost to President Rupiah Banda in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rupiah Banda</span> President of Zambia, 2008 to 2011 (1937–2022)

Rupiah Bwezani Banda was a Zambian politician who served as the fourth president of Zambia from 2008 to 2011, taking over from Levy Mwanawasa. Banda was an active participant in politics from early in the presidency of Kenneth Kaunda, during which time he held several diplomatic posts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Zambian presidential election</span>

Presidential elections were held in Zambia on 30 October 2008 following the death of the incumbent President Levy Mwanawasa on 19 August 2008, as the elections had to be called within 90 days of his death. It was expected that there would be internal problems within the ruling Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) as Mwanawasa had not declared a successor prior to his death, but Acting President Rupiah Banda was selected as the MMD's candidate without apparent problems. Michael Sata stood as the candidate of the Patriotic Front (PF), while Hakainde Hichilema stood as the candidate of the United Party for National Development (UPND). Godfrey Miyanda stood as the candidate of the Heritage Party.

Emmanuel Kasonde was a Zambian economist and politician who served as the Finance permanent secretary or Minister of Finance under three successive Zambian presidential administrations, including Kenneth Kaunda, Frederick Chiluba and Levy Mwanawasa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nevers Mumba</span> Zambian politician

Nevers Mumba is a Zambian politician and religious minister. He is the current leader of the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy. He served as the eighth vice-president of Zambia in 2003–04 under Levy Mwanawasa.

Enoch P. Kavindele is a Zambian businessman and politician who served as the seventh vice-president of Zambia from 2001 until 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1991 Zambian general election</span>

General elections were held in Zambia on 31 October 1991 to elect a President and National Assembly. They were the first multi-party elections since 1968, and only the second multi-party elections since independence in 1964. The United National Independence Party (UNIP), which had led the country since independence, was comprehensively beaten by the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD). Kenneth Kaunda, who had been president since independence, was defeated in a landslide by MMD challenger Frederick Chiluba in the presidential elections, whilst the MMD won 125 of the 150 elected seats in the expanded National Assembly. Voter turnout was 45%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Zambian presidential election</span>

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.

Vera Tembo is a Zambian politician and member of the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD). She served as the First Lady of Zambia from 1991 until her separation from her former husband, President Frederick Chiluba, in 2001.

References

  1. "Zambian Opposition Leader Nevers Mumba wins MMD presidency". Lusaka Times. November 5, 2019.
  2. "Judge Bowa to hear contempt proceedings against Nevers, 5 others on June 10 – The Mast Online" . Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  3. "MMD back on feet: Sylvia Nawa talks agriculture, empowerment – Zambia Daily Mail". www.daily-mail.co.zm. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  4. Martin Lindhardt (2014). Pentecostalism in Africa: Presence and Impact of Pneumatic Christianity in Postcolonial Societies. BRILL. pp. 302–303.
  5. "Nevers Mumba Declared MMD President". 20 March 2021.
  6. "Mutati is new MMD leader". ZNBC. May 21, 2016. Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  7. 1 2 says, Jayalljay (2019-11-05). "Nevers Mumba wins MMD presidency, as Mutati brags of larger following". Zambia: News Diggers!. Retrieved 2024-08-12.