General elections were held in
Zambia
Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...
on 5 December 1973. They were the first elections held since the country was formally declared a
one-party state
A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system or single-party system is a governance structure in which only a single political party controls the ruling system. In a one-party state, all opposition parties are either outlawed or en ...
in August, with the
United National Independence Party (UNIP) as the only legally permitted party. UNIP leader
Kenneth Kaunda
Kenneth 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 Northern Rhodesia, British ...
was automatically elected to a third five-year term as
President, and was confirmed in office via a referendum in which 88.8% of voters approved his candidacy. UNIP also won all 125 seats in the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...
. Voter turnout was 39% of the 1,746,107 registered voters for the presidential election, and 33% for the National Assembly election.
Elections in Zambia
African Elections Database
Prior to the elections, primary elections
Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pri ...
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, 532 people stood for election to the National Assembly.[
]
Results
President
Kaunda was the sole candidate for president, and voters voted yes or no to his candidacy.
National Assembly
See also
* List of members of the National Assembly of Zambia (1973–78)
References
{{Zambian elections
Zambia
Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...
1973 in Zambia
Parliamentary elections in Zambia
One-party elections
Presidential elections in Zambia