ABSTRACT
Zambia’s 1991 multi-party elections stand as a model of peaceful regime transition. The United National Independence Party (UNIP), which had ruled Zambia since independence in 1964 and as the sole legal party since 1973, was removed by a landslide victory for the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) which had coalesced out of disparate demands for multi-party democracy only 15 months before. Underlying the Zambian post-colonial political process was a legacy of colonial exploitation - uneven development, integration into the global economy through the production of a single export commodity, the domination of multinational mining corporations, and the relative exclusion of Zambians from social and economic resources. Like the MMD, the donors appeared to blame Zambia’s economic misfortunes on the UNIP government’s mismanagement. Popular protests emerged with some suddenness in Zambia. Zambia’s elections in 1991 surely constitute a significant milestone in the search for democracy, but it is still unclear on what road the country is travelling.
