Patriotic Front (Zambia)

The Patriotic Front (PF) is the ruling 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. After several years, the PF gained power in the 2011 general elections.

Patriotic Front
PresidentEdgar Lungu
Secretary-GeneralDavies Mwila
Founded2001 (2001)
Split fromMMD
HeadquartersFarmer House, Cairo Road, Lusaka
IdeologySocial democracy[1]
Democratic socialism
Social conservatism[2]
Political positionCentre-left
ColoursBlack, blue and white
National Assembly
80 / 156
Pan African Parliament
2 / 5
Zambia
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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.[3] Angered by this turn of events, Sata quit the MMD and founded the PF.[4] 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%.

Electoral history

Presidential elections
Election Party candidate Votes % Result
2001 Michael Sata 59,172 3.40% Lost N
2006 804,748 29.37% Lost N
2008 683,150 38.13% Lost N
2011 1,170,966 41.98% Elected Y
2015 Edgar Lungu 807,925 48.33% Elected Y
2016 1,860,877 50.35% Elected Y

National Assembly elections
Election Votes % Seats +/– Position Government
2001 49,362 2.82%
1 / 159
 1 7th Opposition
2006 622,864 22.96%
43 / 159
 42 2nd Opposition
2011 1,037,108 38.42%
60 / 159
 17 1st Minority government
2016 1,537,946 42.01%
80 / 156
 20 1st Majority government

References
  1. http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Zambia.html
  3. Presidential term limits in Africa by Daniel Vencovsky Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine AfricaFiles
  4. Who will be Zambia’s next president? SARDC, September 2008
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