Political unrest in Zambia's 2016 elections : what caused the pre-election violence?

Abstract

Free and fair competitive elections are essential for democratic governments. However one chooses to define democracy, it is undeniably a system of governance expressing popular will. Where citizens have the power to elect their leaders regularly through genuine elections and election outcomes are unpredictable solely depending on the decision of voters. But unfortunately, most African regimes cannot be categorised as democratic despite holding regular elections. In most of these states, elections are manipulated and fail to challenge authoritarian leaders. The Zambian constitution stipulates that general elections are held every five years to elect the President and National Assembly. Recent elections were held in 2016 marked with significant levels of violence. Although election violence is not new in Zambia, the 2016 election violence was by far the worst the country has experienced. Thus, making this an important topic for discussion. This study focussed on the causal factors of election violence in the 2016 Zambian elections. Study findings showed that election violence was mainly perpetrated by ruling Patriotic Front party and the United Party for National Development to a lesser extent and several factors accounted for the 2016 violence. But mainly, poverty, ethnicity, intolerance among political players and a skewed electoral playing field in favour of the incumbent party were the root causes. The study contends independent institutions are required for election violence to be curtailed in Zambia. The thesis also emphasises on the importance of attitude change among citizens. That they should desist from a culture of accepting violence during elections but instead be more proactive in governance issues and hold leaders accountable. These are vital elements to contemplate that can ensure that democratic principles are respected during elections.