General elections were held in
Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are t ...
on 27 October 1983. At the time, the country was a
one-party state
A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system, or single-party system is a type of sovereign state in which only one political party has the right to form the government, usually based on the existing constitution. All other parties ...
, with the
United National Independence Party (UNIP) as the only legally permitted party. Its leader,
Kenneth Kaunda
Kenneth David Kaunda (28 April 1924 – 17 June 2021), also known as KK, was a Zambian politician who served as the first President of Zambia from 1964 to 1991. He was at the forefront of the struggle for independence from British rule. Diss ...
was automatically re-elected for a fifth term as
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
, and was confirmed in office with over 95% of the vote. UNIP also won all 125 seats in the
National Assembly. Voter turnout was around 63% in the parliamentary election,
[ but 65.5% in the presidential election.][Nohlen, D, Krennerich, M & Thibaut, B (1999) ''Elections in Africa: A data handbook'', p954 ]
Campaign
Prior to the elections, primary elections
Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the c ...
were held to elect candidates for the 125 constituencies. Only UNIP members could vote in the primaries, and the top three candidates would be able to stand for the National Assembly election.[Zambia: 1973 and 1978 one-party elections]
EISA In total, 812 people stood for election to the National Assembly, with 46 rejected by the UNIP central committee.[Zambia 1978]
Inter-Parliamentary Union
Results
President
Kaunda was the sole candidate for president, and voters voted yes or no to his candidacy. Some sources reported the results to be 93% for and 7% against.
African Elections Database
National Assembly
See also
* List of members of the National Assembly of Zambia (1983–88)
References
{{Zambian elections
1983 elections in Africa
1983 in Zambia
1983
The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...
One-party elections
1983
The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...
1983
The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...