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General Election
Third Republic
1991 General Election
The election marked Zambia’s return to multiparty democracy. MMD won 125 of 150 National Assembly seats and UNIP won 25. Frederick Chiluba succeeded Kenneth Kaunda as President.
Archived
: Election status from the public election record.
Unverified
: This record has not yet been verified.
Election outcome
How the election was won
President elected
Frederick Chiluba
Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD)
Winner
Frederick Chiluba
Runner-up
Kenneth Kaunda
United National Independence Party (UNIP)
About the figures: Complete official national vote totals have not yet been verified for this record. The page shows only facts supported by the linked official publications.
Key facts at a glance
Presidential outcome
Frederick Chiluba succeeded Kenneth Kaunda
MMD parliamentary seats
125 of 150
UNIP parliamentary seats
25 of 150
Political change
Return to multiparty government
What was happening before the election
Article 4 of the 1973 Constitution was repealed in December 1990, allowing multiple political parties. President Kaunda dissolved the National Assembly and elections followed under the new 1991 Constitution.
How the election worked
A direct multiparty presidential election was held alongside National Assembly elections after Zambia restored legal multiparty politics. The presidential candidate with the winning national vote became President, while parliamentary seats were elected by constituency.
How the outcome was decided
Frederick Chiluba of MMD defeated incumbent President Kenneth Kaunda of UNIP and became Zambia’s second Republican President. The page does not display presidential vote totals because they have not yet been linked to a primary ECZ results document in this archive.
What happened in Parliament
MMD won 125 of 150 elected National Assembly seats. UNIP won the remaining 25 seats.
Why this election mattered
The election ended twenty-seven years of Kaunda’s presidency and restored competitive multiparty government. It began Zambia’s Third Republic and produced a peaceful transfer of presidential power.