History of Zambia (1964–present): Difference between revisions

In 1968 Kaunda was [[Zambian general election, 1968|re-elected as president]], running unopposed. During the following years Zambia adopted a one party system. In 1972 all political parties except UNIP were banned, and this was formalised in a new constitution that was adopted in 1973. The constitution framed a system called "one-party participatory democracy", which in practise meant that UNIP became the sole political factor in the country. It provided for a strong [[President of Zambia|president]] and a unicameral [[National Assembly of Zambia|National Assembly]]. National policy was formulated by the Central Committee of UNIP. The cabinet executed the central committee's policy. In legislative elections, only candidates running for UNIP were allowed to participate. Even though inter-party competition was out of question, the contest for seats within UNIP was energetic. In the presidential elections, the only candidate allowed to run was the one elected as president of UNIP at the party's general conference. In this way Kaunda was re-elected unopposed with a yes or no vote in [[Zambian general election, 1973|1973]], [[Zambian general election, 1978|1978]], [[Zambian general election, 1983|1983]] and [[Zambian general election, 1988|1988]].