A
s copper exports and
agricultural output
have soared, Zambia
enters an election
year with the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) able to boast of
improved economic prospects.
But it is far from clear how Zambians will view the MMD’s political...
More
A
s copper exports and
agricultural output
have soared, Zambia
enters an election
year with the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) able to boast of
improved economic prospects.
But it is far from clear how Zambians will view the MMD’s political standing by the time elections are held in the last quarter
of 2011, especially if a coalition
of opposition parties manages
to hold together.
The electoral pact between
the Patriotic Front (PF) and the
United Party for National Development (UPND) could beat the MMD in the
presidential and parliamentary polls.
Combined,
the two parties got just under 60% of the vote
in the 2008 presidential election, although the
MMD’s Rupiah Banda squeaked in above the PF’s
Michael Sata.
But the pact’s longevity depends on
personalities.
This will be Sata’s last shot at the
presidency, and although some in the PF want
him to run on his own, it would be risky.
Voices in
the UPND have also called on their own Hakainde
Hichilema to stand.
If the
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