Waging Peace:  Zambia

"Use the ballot, not violence," read a mural in Zambia in 2001 before the presidential and parliamentary elections of that year, driving home the need for a stronger democracy. The Carter Center has worked in Zambia to promote peace through food security programming and by helping to ensure that elections truly represent the will of the people.

Monitoring Elections

2001 Elections
A December 2001 observation mission for the presidential and parliamentary elections in Zambia reported that vote-counting procedures sometimes were chaotic and that the tabulation of results in constituency centers and at the Electoral Commission was not fully transparent. The delegation, which was co-led by former Nigeria head of state Abdulsalami Abubakar, former Benin President Nicéphore Soglo, and former Tanzania Prime Minister Joseph Warioba, lauded the large voter turnout and voters' patience with long lines and procedural delays at polling sites. On Jan. 2, 2002, the governing party candidate, Levy Mwanawasa, was sworn in as president, having won just 29 percent of the vote and narrowly defeating a divided opposition, which lodged claims of vote-rigging.

"The Center has serious concerns about electoral irregularities and the lack of transparency in Zambia's vote tabulation. While we have not seen clear evidence of vote-rigging, it is critical for the Electoral Commission of Zambia to release all polling station results and to explain reported discrepancies," said Democracy Program Associate Director David Carroll. "The strengthening of democratic institutions and electoral processes in southern Africa is critical for stability and progress across the continent. The flawed Zambian elections demonstrated important progress as well as serious challenges that remain."

1991 Elections
The Carter Center sent a delegation of representatives from 13 countries in Africa, Europe, and North America to monitor the Oct. 31, 1991, elections in Zambia. In the first democratic election in the country's history, Zambian voters dealt a defeat to one of Africa's longest-serving leaders. Former trade union leader Frederick Chiluba soundly defeated Kenneth Kaunda, who had ruled Zambia since independence from Britain in 1964.

After that election, The Carter Center advised the new government on economic reform and development initiatives. A consultation, "The New Africa: Democracy, Growth, and Business Opportunities in Zambia," was held at the Center in June 1992 to discuss prospects for private investment in Zambia with some 100 high-level decision-makers from business, government, and private organizations. The Center also helped Zambia create the Foundation for Democratic Process, a coalition of Zambian nongovernmental organizations, which oversees the new democratic system, monitors elections, and promotes human rights and civil liberties.

Election Reports

View Carter Center election reports for Zambia >