Summary
General elections were held in Zambia on 5 December 1973. They were the first elections held since the country was formally declared a one-party state in August, with the United National Independence Party (UNIP) as the only legally permitted party.[1] UNIP leader Kenneth Kaunda was automatically elected to a third five-year term as President, and was confirmed in office via a referendum in which 88.8% of voters approved his candidacy. UNIP also won all 125 seats in the National Assembly. Voter turnout was 39% of the 1,746,107 registered voters for the presidential election,[2] and 33% for the National Assembly election.[3]
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| Turnout | 39.4% | ||||||||||||||||
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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.[4] In total, 532 people stood for election to the National Assembly.[4]
Results edit
President edit
Kaunda was the sole candidate for president, and voters voted yes or no to his candidacy.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenneth Kaunda | United National Independence Party | 581,245 | 88.83 | |
| Against | 73,115 | 11.17 | ||
| Total | 654,360 | 100.00 | ||
| Valid votes | 654,360 | 95.02 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 34,326 | 4.98 | ||
| Total votes | 688,686 | 100.00 | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 1,746,107 | 39.44 | ||
| Source: Nohlen et al. | ||||
National Assembly edit
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United National Independence Party | 527,252 | 100.00 | 125 | +44 | |
| Presidential appointees | 10 | +5 | |||
| Appointed Speaker | 1 | New | |||
| Total | 527,252 | 100.00 | 136 | +11 | |
| Valid votes | 527,252 | 90.34 | |||
| Invalid/blank votes | 56,355 | 9.66 | |||
| Total votes | 583,607 | 100.00 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 1,746,107 | 33.42 | |||
| Source: African Elections Database | |||||
See also edit
References edit
- ^ The State of Political Parties In Zambia. National Democratic Institute, 2003
- ^ Dieter Nohlen, Michael Krennerich & Bernhard Thibaut (1999) Elections in Africa: A data handbook, p953 ISBN 0-19-829645-2
- ^ Elections in Zambia African Elections Database
- ^ a b Zambia: 1973 and 1978 one-party elections EISA