1978 Zambian general election

General elections were held in Zambia on 12 December 1978. At the time, the country was a one-party state with the United National Independence Party (UNIP) as the sole legal party. UNIP leader Kenneth Kaunda was automatically elected to a fourth five-year term as President, with 80.7% of voters voting to confirm him in office. UNIP also won all 125 seats in the National Assembly. Voter turnout was around 65% in the parliamentary election,[1] but 66.7% in the presidential election.[2]

1978 Zambian general election
12 December 1978
Turnout66.7%
 
Nominee Kenneth Kaunda
Party UNIP
Popular vote 1,026,127
Percentage 80.7%
President before election

Kenneth Kaunda
UNIP

 Elected President

Kenneth Kaunda
UNIP

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Campaign

Prior to the elections, primary elections 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.[3] However, 30 candidates who had won primaries, including six sitting MPs, were vetoed by the party's central committee. In total, 732 people stood for election to the National Assembly.[3] In six constituencies (in which there were 87,482 registered voters) there was only one candidate, who was returned unopposed.[4]

Results

President

Kaunda was the sole candidate for president, and voters voted yes or no to his candidacy.

Choice Votes %
Yes1,026,12780.7
No244,71919.3
Invalid/blank votes44,763–
Total1,315,609100
Registered voters/turnout1,971,88166.7
Source: Nohlen et al.

National Assembly
Party Votes % Seats +/–
United National Independence Party1001250
Presidential appointees––100
Appointed Speaker––10
Invalid/blank votes–––
Total1,273,4621001360
Registered voters/turnout1,844,39967.6––
Source: Nohlen et al., African Elections Database

See also

References
  1. Zambia 1978 Inter-Parliamentary Union
  2. Nohlen, D, Krennerich, M & Thibaut, B (1999) Elections in Africa: A data handbook, p953 ISBN 0-19-829645-2
  3. Zambia: 1973 and 1978 one-party elections EISA
  4. Elections in Zambia African Elections Database
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