President of Zambia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids President of the Republic of Zambia
Presidential flag
Incumbent Hakainde Hichilema since 24 August 2021
Residence	State House
Term length	5 years, renewable once
Inaugural holder	Kenneth Kaunda
Formation	24 October 1964
Deputy	Vice-President of Zambia
Salary	1,280,299 Zambian kwacha/63,100 USD annually
Website	https://www.sh.gov.zm/

The President of Zambia is the top leader of the country. This person is both the head of state and the head of government. They have the highest power in Zambia. The president is chosen by the people in an election. They serve for five years and can be re-elected once.

The president's job is to run the government. They make sure national plans are put into action. They also represent Zambia to other countries around the world. This important job started when Zambia became independent in 1964.

The current president is Hakainde Hichilema. He took office on August 24, 2021. His party, the United Party for National Development, won the election that year. The president also chooses the Cabinet (a group of top government officials). They are also the Commander-in-Chief of the Zambian Defence Force. This means they are in charge of the country's military.

The first president was Kenneth Kaunda. He became president when Zambia gained independence in 1964. Since 1991, six other people have been president. They are Frederick Chiluba, Levy Mwanawasa, Rupiah Banda, Michael Sata, Edgar Lungu, and the current president, Hakainde Hichilema. There was also an acting president, Guy Scott. He served for a short time after President Michael Sata passed away. Since 1991, the president has also been the head of government. Before that, there was a Prime Minister who held that role.

Presidential Term Length

The President of Zambia is elected for a five-year term. Since 1991, the Constitution of Zambia has a rule. It says a president can only serve two terms. There was an attempt to change this rule in 2001, but it did not happen.

History of Zambia's Presidency

From Northern Rhodesia to Zambia

Before 1964, Zambia was a British colony called Northern Rhodesia. The leader was the British Monarch. A Governor of Northern Rhodesia represented the Monarch in the colony. This Governor had all the power.

In 1964, a new role was created: the Prime Minister of Northern Rhodesia. This person became the head of government. Soon after, it was announced that Northern Rhodesia would become independent. It would have a president as its leader. The first president was chosen by the elected members of the Legislative Council.

Zambia's First Presidents

When Zambia became independent, Kenneth Kaunda was the Prime Minister. He was then elected as the first president. The job of Prime Minister was removed. This made the president the main leader.

At first, Zambia had many political parties. But in 1973, President Kaunda changed the Constitution of Zambia. Zambia became a one-party state. This meant his party, the United National Independence Party (UNIP), was the only legal party. All other parties were banned. Kaunda said this was to stop different groups from fighting. The job of Prime Minister was brought back for a while. In elections, people could only vote for or against Kaunda.

Kaunda was re-elected many times. But in the 1980s, people wanted more political parties. In 1990, President Kaunda agreed to allow other parties again. The Prime Minister's job was removed once more. All powers went back to the president.

In the 1991 Zambian general election, Kaunda lost to Frederick Chiluba. Chiluba was from the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) party. Kaunda peacefully gave up power. This was a rare event for an African leader at that time.

In 1996, President Chiluba changed the constitution. He added a rule that only people with at least one parent born in Zambia could run for president. This rule made it harder for Kenneth Kaunda to run again. His parents were from Nyasaland (now Malawi).

Because of the two-term limit, Levy Mwanawasa became the MMD's candidate after Chiluba. Mwanawasa won the 2001 Zambian general election. Some people said there were problems with the election. But the Supreme Court decided the results should stand. Mwanawasa was re-elected in 2006. He passed away in 2008. Rupiah Banda then took over.

In the 2011 Zambian general election, Rupiah Banda lost to Michael Sata. Sata was from the Patriotic Front (PF) party.

President Sata passed away in 2014 while in office. His Vice-President, Guy Scott, became acting president. Scott was the first white head of state in an African country since 1994. However, because of the rule about parents' birthplaces, he could only be acting president for 90 days. He could not run for election himself.

In the 2015 Zambian presidential election, Edgar Lungu from the PF party won. He was re-elected in 2016.

Changes to the Presidency

In January 2016, some important changes were made to the constitution. These changes affected how the president is elected.

• The rule about parents' birthplaces was removed. Now, more people can run for president.
• The election system changed. To win, a candidate now needs more than 50% of the votes. If no one gets over 50% in the first round, there is a second election. This second election happens between the top two candidates.
• A new rule was added for a "running mate." Now, the president and vice president are elected together. Before, the president chose the vice president after winning.
• People who want to run for president must now show they have support. They need at least 100 registered voters from each of Zambia's ten provinces to support their nomination.

List of Presidents of Zambia

Here is a list of the people who have served as President of Zambia.

Political parties

     United National Independence Party (UNIP)      Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD)      Patriotic Front (PF)      United Party for National Development (UPND)

Status

     Denotes acting president

Symbols

• Elected unopposed
• Died in office

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Elected	Term of office			Political party
				Took office	Left office	Time in office
1	Kenneth Kaunda	Kenneth Kaunda (1924–2021)	1968 1973 1978 1983 1988	24 October 1964	2 November 1991	27 years, 9 days	UNIP
2	Frederick Chiluba	Frederick Chiluba (1943–2011)	1991 1996	2 November 1991	2 January 2002	10 years, 61 days	MMD
3	Levy Mwanawasa	Levy Mwanawasa (1948–2008)	2001 2006	2 January 2002	19 August 2008	6 years, 230 days	MMD
4	Rupiah Banda	Rupiah Banda (1937–2022)	2008	19 August 2008	23 September 2011	3 years, 35 days	MMD
5	Michael Sata	Michael Sata (1937–2014)	2011	23 September 2011	28 October 2014	3 years, 35 days	PF
—	Guy Scott	Guy Scott (born 1944) Acting president	—	28 October 2014	25 January 2015	89 days	PF
6	Edgar Lungu	Edgar Lungu (born 1956)	2015 2016	25 January 2015	24 August 2021	6 years, 211 days	PF
7	Hakainde Hichilema	Hakainde Hichilema (born 1962)	2021	24 August 2021	Incumbent	3 years, 306 days	UPND

Timeline of Presidents

Presidents by Time in Office

See also

In Spanish: Presidente de Zambia para niños

• First Lady of Zambia
• Vice-President of Zambia
• Governor of Northern Rhodesia
• Prime Minister of Zambia
• Lists of office-holders
• List of current heads of state and government