Africa: Zambia Has Done Africa Proud

7 October 2011
analysis

In a continent notorious for sit-tight leaders and failed elections, the smooth change of government in Zambia from the administration of Rupiah Banda to that of the veteran opposition leader Michael Chilufya Sata was a salutary lesson for African states.

Against the backdrop of the threat of destabilisation posed by post election violence in recent years in Zimbabwe, Kenya and Ivory Coast, the election in Zambia was a breath of fresh air. In an act of statesmanship rare in Africa, the loser, ex-president Banda, graciously accepted defeat with the words: "the people of Zambia have spoken and we must listen". This is the second time power has changed hands in Zambia from an incumbent president to an opposition leader, suggesting a consolidation of Zambia's democracy.

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