Patriotic Front (Zambia)
Patriotic Front | |
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President | Edgar Lungu |
Secretary-General | Davies Mwila |
Founder | Michael Sata |
Founded | 2001 |
Split from | MMD |
Headquarters | Farmer House, Cairo Road, Lusaka |
Ideology | Social democracy[1] |
Political position | Centre-left[citation needed] |
International affiliation | Socialist International (consultative)[2] |
Colours | Black Blue Green White |
Slogan | "For Lower Taxes, More Jobs and More Money in Your Pockets" |
National Assembly | 59 / 156 |
Pan African Parliament | 2 / 5 |
Election symbol | |
Boat | |
Website | |
Facebook page | |
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The Patriotic Front (PF) is a social democratic political party in Zambia. The party was formed by Michael Sata as a breakaway party of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy in 2001 after the President Frederick Chiluba nominated Levy Mwanawasa as its presidential candidate for 2001 elections. The party's main base of support are usually the youth and poor people in urban centres (although this support wavered starting in 2021), as well as members of the Bemba people in Copperbelt Province and Lusaka Province.[3]
After several years, the PF gained power in the 2011 general elections, and governed until the 2021 elections.
Formation[]
The Patriotic Front was formed as a political party in 2001. In 2000, after Chiluba lost a bid to change the constitution to allow him to stand for third term, Michael Sata thought he would be endorsed as the MMD presidential candidate. The answer was given in 2001 when Chiluba noted that none of those (including Sata) who were in his government at the time were capable of winning the elections. At a secret ballot, Chiluba personally nominated Mwanawasa and voted for him to be the presidential candidate.[4] Angered by this turn of events, Sata quit the MMD and founded the PF.[5] At the same time, notable figures like Christon Tembo, Godfrey Miyanda and Edith Nawakwi formed the Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD). Party. Sata became leader of the PF and was its presidential candidate for the 2001 general elections; he received 3.4% of the vote, finishing seventh out of the eleven candidates. In the National Assembly elections the party received 2.8% of the vote, winning a single seat.
Sata was again the party's presidential candidate in the 2006 general elections, this time finishing second to Levy Patrick Mwanawasa with 29% of the vote. With its National Assembly vote share increasing to 23% , the party won 43 seats, becoming the largest opposition party. Following Mwanawasa's death, a presidential by-election was held in 2008. Sata finished second to MMD candidate Rupiah Banda with 38% of the vote to Banda's 40%.
The 2011 general elections saw a reversal of the 2008 result, with Sata beating Banda by a margin of 42% to 35%. The PF also became the largest party in the National Assembly, winning 60 of the 150 seats. However, Sata died in office in October 2014. Vice-President Guy Scott took over as interim president until a by-election was held in January 2015. Edgar Lungu was selected as the party's candidate, and won the election with 48% of the vote.
In 2016 Edgar Lungu won again as the president with 50.35%.
In the lead up to the 2021 general election, Amnesty International publicly raised concerns about the violation of civil liberties, crackdowns on dissent and police killings while the party held political power.[6]
Electoral history[]
Presidential elections[]
Election | Party candidate | Votes | % | Result |
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2001 | Michael Sata | 59,172 | 3.40% | Lost ![]() |
2006 | 804,748 | 29.37% | Lost ![]() | |
2008 | 683,150 | 38.13% | Lost ![]() | |
2011 | 1,170,966 | 41.98% | Elected ![]() | |
2015 | Edgar Lungu | 807,925 | 48.33% | Elected ![]() |
2016 | 1,860,877 | 50.35% | Elected ![]() | |
2021 | 1,870,780 | 38.71% | Lost ![]() |
National Assembly elections[]
Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Outcome |
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2001 | 49,362 | 2.82% | 1 / 159
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Opposition |
2006 | 622,864 | 22.96% | 43 / 159
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Opposition |
2011 | 1,037,108 | 38.42% | 60 / 159
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Minority government |
2016 | 1,537,946 | 42.01% | 80 / 156
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Majority government |
2021 | 1,646,247 | 35.30% | 59 / 156
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Opposition |
References[]
- ^ "Zambia". www.worldstatesmen.org. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20131216005724/https://www.socialistinternational.org/images/dynamicImages/files/Council%20decisions-1.pdf Decisions of the Council
- ^ Sinyangwe, Chiwoyu (13 July 2021). "Zambia: Young, urban and disgruntled PF supporters, can Lungu woo them back?". The Africa Report. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
- ^ Presidential term limits in Africa by Daniel Vencovsky Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine AfricaFiles
- ^ Shingi (27 September 2008). "Who will be Zambia's next president?". Knowledge for Development. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ "Zambia: Killings and brutal crackdown against dissent set the tone for August election". www.amnesty.org. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
External links[]
- 2001 establishments in Zambia
- Conservative parties in Africa
- Consultative member parties of the Socialist International
- Political parties established in 2001
- Political parties in Zambia
- Social conservative parties
- Social democratic parties in Zambia