Situation Report: Zambia's 2006 Elections: Still Trapped in the Transition Gridlock, Dr Peter Kagwanja and Patrick Mutahi

Zambia will hold its third tripartite multiparty elections on 28 September 2006, when the country’s 3.9 million registered voters will go to the polls to elect a national president, parliamentarians, and local government councillors. Five political parties or party coalitions are vying for the top job, including the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) of President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, who is seeking a second five-year term. In all, 29 political parties have fielded candidates for the 158-seat legislative assembly and local government seats.