National Party (Zambia)

The National Party is a political party in Zambia.

History

The party was established in August 1993 by a group of nine MPs who had left the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy after the government refused to investigate corruption allegations against senior ministers.[1][2]

Former minister Humphrey Mulemba was the party's presidential candidate in the 1996 general elections, finishing third in a field of five candidates with 7% of the vote. In the parliamentary elections the party nominated 98 candidates,[3] receiving 7% of the vote and winning five seats in the National Assembly, making it the largest opposition party amidst a United National Independence Party boycott.

In 2000 Sam Chipungu was elected party president.[4] In the 2001 general elections it did not run a presidential candidate, but supported Anderson Mazoka of the United Party for National Development,[5] who finished as runner-up. In the parliamentary elections it received just 0.07% of the vote and failed to win a seat, having disintegrated after the death of Mulemba in 1998 and interim leader Daniel Lisulo in 2000.[6]

In 2011 National Party leader Richard Kambulu contested a single seat in the parliamentary elections, receiving only 193 votes (0.01%).[7] Kambulu also considered running for the 2015 presidential elections but opted not to.[8]

References

  1. ↑ Zambia: History The Commonwealth
  2. ↑ Tom Lansford (2014) Political Handbook of the World 2014, CQ Press, p1611
  3. ↑ Liisa Laakso (2002) Multi-party Elections in Africa, James Currey Publishers, p309
  4. ↑ Zambia: Chipungu Heads National Party All Africa, 31 August 2000
  5. ↑ Lansford, p1615
  6. ↑ Zambian Election Update EISA, September 2001
  7. ↑ 2011 National Assembly Elections Results Electoral Commission of Zambia
  8. ↑ Two Unknown Candidates Withdraw from Zambia’s Presidential Race Zambia Reports, 22 December 2014
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