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 Zambian Defence Force is the military of Zambia. It consists of the Zambian Army, the Zambian Air Force, and the Zambia National Service. The defence forces were formed at Zambian independence on 24 October 1964, from constituent units of the dissolved Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland Armed Forces. During the 1970s and 1980s, it played a key role in a number of regional conflicts, namely the South African Border War and Rhodesian Bush War. Being a landlocked country Zambia has no navy, although the Zambian Army maintains a maritime patrol unit for maintaining security on inland bodies of water.
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.
Peter Zuze Air Force Base is an airbase located in the city of Ndola in the Copperbelt Province in northern Zambia. It used to be the premises of the Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport until late 2021, when Ndola's airport moved its operations 15 km (9.3 mi) to the west and this old airport address ceased to be a commercial airport. It now belongs to the Zambian Air Force.
The Zambia Air Force (ZAF) is the air force of Zambia and the air operations element of the Zambian Defence Force. Following the creation of the Republic of Zambia in 1964, the former Northern Rhodesia Air Force was renamed as the Zambia Air Force.
Catherine Namugala a Zambian politician. She was the First Deputy Speaker of the Zambian Parliament until 2021. She was nominated to that position by President Edgar Lungu, on 18 September 2016. She is the former Minister of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources in the Zambian Cabinet. She also served as the Member of Parliament (MP), representing Mafinga in the Zambian Parliament from 2001 until 2016.
General Wilson Mbasu Mbadi is a senior military officer in the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) and the Minister of State for trade, industry and cooperatives. He served as the Chief of Defense Forces, the highest position in Uganda's military, from June 2021 until March 2024, having replaced General David Muhoozi, who was appointed State Minister of Internal Affairs.
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.
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.
Miles Bwalya Sampa is a Zambian politician, currently serving as Member of Parliament for Matero Constituency and president of the Patriotic Front. The veteran politician previously served as Mayor of Lusaka, having been elected in August 2018. His election in 2021 would see him return to Parliament representing Matero Constituency, a position he served from 2011 to 2016.
Joyce Nonde-Simukoko is a Zambian politician. She was appointed the Minister of Labour and Social Security in the Cabinet of Zambia by President Edgar Chagwa Lungu on 15 September 2016.
Nkandu Phoebe Luo is a Zambian microbiologist and politician who was a vice presidential candidate for the Patriotic Front in the August 2021 election. She is a microbiologist who previously served as Head of Pathology and Microbiology at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka and has carried out extensive research into HIV/AIDS.
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.
Events in the year 2021 in Zambia.
Lieutenant General Dennis Sitali Alibuzwi, also Dennis Alibuzwi, is a Zambian military officer who has been the Commander of the Zambian Army since 29 August 2021. He was promoted from the rank of Major General to Lieutenant General, on the day that he was appointed Commander of the Army. He replaced Lieutenant General William Sikazwe, who served in that role between December 2018 and August 2021. The Zambian Army is one of the three components of the Zambian Defence Force.
Esau Chulu is a Zambian judge who has served as the chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Zambia since 2015.
Lieutenant General Oscar Msitu Nyoni is a Zambian military officer and has been force commander of the Zambia Air Force since December 20, 2023.
Major General Arthur Kalaluka is a Zambian military officer and has been deputy force commander of the Zambia Air Force since 20 December 2023.
