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Zambia has a number of outstanding electoral issues, which have been raised by the election monitors and opposition political parties in every election since the 1991 “founding” elections. These issues impede opposition political parties in particular to mount effective political campaigns. The EISA's update focuses on the readiness of stakeholders and political parties to take part in the 2001 Zambian election.

EISA Election Update, , October 2001
Visit www.eisa.org.za for more information

Background to the 2001 Zambian Elections:
Zambia became an Independent Republic on October 24,1964. The Independence
Constitution provided for a multi-party political system, which lasted
only until December 13, 1972 when Zambia became a one-party state under
the United National Independence Party (UNIP) led by Zambia's founding
President Kenneth Kaunda. The one-party rule ended on August 29, 1991,
when Article Four of the Constitution, which prohibited existence of any
other political parties other than UNIP in Zambia, was repealed following
successful campaign for change by a broad coalition of intellectuals,
businessmen and trade unionists under the Movement for Multi-Party
Democracy (MMD)... (http://www.eisa.org.za)

Political Developments and the Third Term Debate:
Zambia’s political climate in the run-up to its third multi-party
elections since the restoration of multi-party democracy have been, and
are being shaped by the struggles for power within the ruling MMD...
(http://www.eisa.org.za)

Emerging Electoral Issues:
Zambia has a number of outstanding electoral issues, which have been
raised by the election monitors and opposition political parties in every
election since the 1991 “founding” elections. These issues impede
opposition political parties in particular to mount effective political
campaigns. Most of the outstanding issues, however, tend to get
overshadowed by other issues considered more pressing, such as the third
term debate, which was generally considered to be a threat to democracy...
(http://www.eisa.org.za)

Election Preparations:
This section gives brief analyses of the readiness of the stakeholders of
the 2001 Zambian election. The preparations made by the key stakeholders
including the Electoral Commission, civil society organisations and
political parties are analysed, with a view of providing a broad overview
of the preparations and speculating on when the elections might be held...
(http://www.eisa.org.za)

Zambian Political Parties:
This section analyses the readiness of the Zambian political parties for
the 2001 elections. The section focuses on the organisation of party
conventions and election of National Executive Committees, the selection
of Presidential and Parliamentary Candidates, as well as the Candidates
for the Local Elections... (http://www.eisa.org.za)