Zambia is one of the few countries in Africa to be regarded as a stable democracy. The Zambians recently held their national elections on 20th September 2011 and the ruling party MMD (the Movement for Multiparty Democracy) led by President Rupiah Banda lost power and have been replaced by the Patriotic Front led by Michael Sata. This is a significant change as the MMD has been in power for over 20 years but there were signs that change was afoot in the 2008 elections when they managed to hold onto power by just a few votes. The 2011 election was equally close with only a few votes in it but this time the balance of power has swung round to the Patriotic Front.

The election results were as follows: the Patriotic Front won 60 seats, the Movement for Multiparty Democracy secured 55 seats, and the United Party for National Development picked up 28 seats.

European Union Chief observer Maria Muniz said there had not been a level-playing field for all parties during the campaign. She also noted some problems and delays in polling stations. But she said overall the election had been generally well-administered and was so far, in the view of the mission, transparent and credible.

Zambia was a pretty wealthy nation at the time of its independence in the mid 1960s but with corruption and mismanagement plus a population devastated by disease it has dropped down the scale and is now regarded one of the world’s poorest nations. However there is much optimism about the future and although tourism and agriculture are solidly building their growth it is still the copper mining industry which is Zambia’s main income. With lots of investment and development (from the Chinese in particular) Zambia’s future is looking hopeful.