Movement for Multiparty Democracy
Encyclopedia
The Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) 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 the country. Its election into power in 1991 ended the 27 year rule of the United National Independence Party
of former president Kenneth Kaunda
. It remains the dominant party within Zambian politics. It is a center-left political party.
During that same year, pushed by internal and international pressure, President 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
making Zambia a multi-party state.
Zambia's first multi-party elections for parliament and the presidency since the 1960s were held on October 31, 1991. MMD candidate Frederick Chiluba
resoundingly carried the presidential election over Kenneth Kaunda with 81% of the vote. To add to the MMD landslide, in the parliamentary elections
the MMD won 125 of the 150 elected seats and UNIP the remaining 25.
Relying on the MMD's overwhelming majority in parliament, President Chiluba in May 1996 pushed through constitutional amendments that eliminated former President Kaunda and other prominent opposition leaders from the 1996 presidential elections. In the presidential and parliamentary elections held in November 1996, Chiluba was re-elected, and the MMD won 131 of the 150 seats in the National Assembly. Kaunda's UNIP party boycott
ed the parliamentary polls to protest the exclusion of its leader from the presidential race, alleging in addition, that the outcome of the election had been predetermined due to a faulty voter registration exercise.
Despite the UNIP boycott, the elections took place peacefully, and five presidential and more than 600 parliamentary candidates from 11 parties participated. Afterward, however, several opposition parties and non-governmental organization
s declared the elections neither free nor fair. As President Chiluba began his second term in 1997, the opposition continued to reject the results of the election amid international efforts to encourage the MMD and the opposition to resolve their differences through dialogue.
Early in 2001, supporters of President Chiluba mounted a campaign to amend the constitution to enable Chiluba to seek a third term of office. Civil society, opposition parties, and many members of the ruling party exerted sufficient pressure on Chiluba to force him to back away from any attempt at a third term.
were held on December 27, 2001. Eleven parties contested the elections. The elections encountered numerous administrative problems with opposition parties alleging that serious irregularities occurred. Nevertheless, the MMD won 27.5 % of popular votes and 69 out of 159 parliamentary seats.
Its candidate for the presidential elections, Levy Mwanawasa
, received 29.1 % of the vote and was declared the victor by a narrow margin. He was sworn into office on January 2, 2002.
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.
election results the party won 74 out of 159 seats. Its presidential candidate, Levy Mwanawasa
, won 43.0 % of the vote.
on the 19th of August 2008 due to a stroke
, early presidential elections
were held in which the candidate for Movement for Multi-Party Democracy, Rupiah Banda
, won with 40.09% of the national vote, narrowly defeating Michael Sata
of the Patriotic Front who received 38.13% of the national vote, by a margin of just 1.96%.
, lost power to defeating Michael Sata
of the Patriotic Front who received 44% of the national vote, by a margin of about 8%.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
. Originally formed to oust the previous government, MMD controlled an absolute majority in parliament between 1991 and 2001, when its past leader, Frederick Chiluba
Frederick Chiluba
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 Multiparty Democracy , defeating long-time President...
was president of the country. Its election into power in 1991 ended the 27 year rule of the United National Independence Party
United National Independence Party
The United National Independence Party is a political party in Zambia. It governed that country from 1964 to 1991 under the presidency of Kenneth Kaunda....
of former president Kenneth Kaunda
Kenneth Kaunda
Kenneth David Kaunda, known as KK, served as the first President of Zambia, from 1964 to 1991.-Early life:Kaunda was the youngest of eight children. He was born at Lubwa Mission in Chinsali, Northern Province of Northern Rhodesia, now Zambia...
. It remains the dominant party within Zambian politics. It is a center-left political party.
Party Genesis and the first election
In 1990, growing opposition to UNIP's monopoly on power, due in part to food shortages and a general economic decline led to the rise of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD). Begun as a coalition party with the specific goal of ousting UNIP, MMD gradually assembled an increasingly impressive group of important Zambians, including prominent UNIP defectors and labour leaders.During that same year, pushed by internal and international pressure, President 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
Constitutional amendment
A constitutional amendment is a formal change to the text of the written constitution of a nation or state.Most constitutions require that amendments cannot be enacted unless they have passed a special procedure that is more stringent than that required of ordinary legislation...
making Zambia a multi-party state.
Zambia's first multi-party elections for parliament and the presidency since the 1960s were held on October 31, 1991. MMD candidate Frederick Chiluba
Frederick Chiluba
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 Multiparty Democracy , defeating long-time President...
resoundingly carried the presidential election over Kenneth Kaunda with 81% of the vote. To add to the MMD landslide, in the parliamentary elections
Zambian parliamentary election, 1991
The 1991 general election in Zambia saw the Movement for Multiparty Democracy defeat the ruling United National Independence Party in both presidential and National Assembly polls.-Presidential results by constituency:...
the MMD won 125 of the 150 elected seats and UNIP the remaining 25.
MMD and the second election
By the end of Chiluba's first term as president (1996), the MMD's commitment to political reform had faded in the face of re-election demands. MMD began to fall apart as a number of prominent politicians founded opposing parties.Relying on the MMD's overwhelming majority in parliament, President Chiluba in May 1996 pushed through constitutional amendments that eliminated former President Kaunda and other prominent opposition leaders from the 1996 presidential elections. In the presidential and parliamentary elections held in November 1996, Chiluba was re-elected, and the MMD won 131 of the 150 seats in the National Assembly. Kaunda's UNIP party boycott
Boycott
A boycott is an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for political reasons...
ed the parliamentary polls to protest the exclusion of its leader from the presidential race, alleging in addition, that the outcome of the election had been predetermined due to a faulty voter registration exercise.
Despite the UNIP boycott, the elections took place peacefully, and five presidential and more than 600 parliamentary candidates from 11 parties participated. Afterward, however, several opposition parties and non-governmental organization
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
s declared the elections neither free nor fair. As President Chiluba began his second term in 1997, the opposition continued to reject the results of the election amid international efforts to encourage the MMD and the opposition to resolve their differences through dialogue.
Early in 2001, supporters of President Chiluba mounted a campaign to amend the constitution to enable Chiluba to seek a third term of office. Civil society, opposition parties, and many members of the ruling party exerted sufficient pressure on Chiluba to force him to back away from any attempt at a third term.
MMD and the third election
Presidential, parliamentary, and local government electionsElections in Zambia
Zambia elects on national level a head of state - the president - and a legislature. The president is elected for a five year term by the people...
were held on December 27, 2001. Eleven parties contested the elections. The elections encountered numerous administrative problems with opposition parties alleging that serious irregularities occurred. Nevertheless, the MMD won 27.5 % of popular votes and 69 out of 159 parliamentary seats.
Its candidate for the presidential elections, Levy Mwanawasa
Levy Mwanawasa
Levy Patrick Mwanawasa was the third President of Zambia. He ruled the country from January 2002 until his death in August 2008. He is credited for having initiated a campaign to rid the country of corruption...
, received 29.1 % of the vote and was declared the victor by a narrow margin. He was sworn into office on January 2, 2002.
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.
2006 Presidential and Parliamentary elections
In the 28 September 2006 National AssemblyNational Assembly of Zambia
The unicameral National Assembly of Zambia is the country's legislative body.The current National Assembly, formed following elections held on 20 September 2011, has a total of 156 members . 150 members are directly elected in single-member constituencies using the simple majority system...
election results the party won 74 out of 159 seats. Its presidential candidate, Levy Mwanawasa
Levy Mwanawasa
Levy Patrick Mwanawasa was the third President of Zambia. He ruled the country from January 2002 until his death in August 2008. He is credited for having initiated a campaign to rid the country of corruption...
, won 43.0 % of the vote.
Presidential elections 2008
Following the sudden death of Levy MwanawasaLevy Mwanawasa
Levy Patrick Mwanawasa was the third President of Zambia. He ruled the country from January 2002 until his death in August 2008. He is credited for having initiated a campaign to rid the country of corruption...
on the 19th of August 2008 due to a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
, early presidential elections
Zambian presidential election, 2008
A presidential election was held in Zambia on 30 October 2008 following the death of the incumbent President Levy Mwanawasa on 19 August 2008; the election had to be called within 90 days of the date of death...
were held in which the candidate for Movement for Multi-Party Democracy, Rupiah Banda
Rupiah Banda
Rupiah Bwezani Banda is a Zambian politician who was President of Zambia from 2008 to 2011.During the Presidency of Kenneth Kaunda, Banda held important diplomatic posts and was active in politics as a member of the United National Independence Party...
, won with 40.09% of the national vote, narrowly defeating Michael Sata
Michael Sata
Michael Chilufya Sata is a Zambian politician who has been the fifth President of Zambia since 23 September 2011. He leads the Patriotic Front , a major political party in Zambia. Under President Frederick Chiluba, Sata was a minister during the 1990s as part of the Movement for Multiparty...
of the Patriotic Front who received 38.13% of the national vote, by a margin of just 1.96%.
Presidential elections 2011
After 20 years of being in power, the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy and it's candidate Rupiah BandaRupiah Banda
Rupiah Bwezani Banda is a Zambian politician who was President of Zambia from 2008 to 2011.During the Presidency of Kenneth Kaunda, Banda held important diplomatic posts and was active in politics as a member of the United National Independence Party...
, lost power to defeating Michael Sata
Michael Sata
Michael Chilufya Sata is a Zambian politician who has been the fifth President of Zambia since 23 September 2011. He leads the Patriotic Front , a major political party in Zambia. Under President Frederick Chiluba, Sata was a minister during the 1990s as part of the Movement for Multiparty...
of the Patriotic Front who received 44% of the national vote, by a margin of about 8%.