Zambia
Zambian ruling party splits up

afrol News, 25 May - After President Frederick Chiluba's failed bid for an unconstitutional third presidential term, the Zambian ruling party Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) finally has split over the issue. Over 80 senior MMD members already have resigned from the Executive Committee. 

The formation of the new party, Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD), has already been carried out. The FDD thus has been established in time to challenge the MMD in the forthcoming presidential elections.

MMD national secretary Michael Sata yesterday told AFP the split "was long overdue," and that he had been expecting this step by the large group of opponents to President Chiluba within the MMD party.

The real split within the MMD was provoked by the polarising debate earlier this year over the possibility of President Chiluba standing for a third term. Chiluba himself never stated he would be willing to stand, but let his party colleagues run a campaign to amend the Zambian Constitution to pave the way for his candidature.

As opposition to an unconstitutional third term for Chiluba grew in Zambian civil society, resistance within the MMD also became more outspoken. Campaigns calling for Chiluba's retirement were organised by top MMD office holder, including Members of Parliament (MPs), ministers and Vice-President Lieutenant General Christon Tembo. 

President Chiluba and his followers answered by altering the party's constitution last month, allowing him to run as its presidential candidate. Chiluba then sacked his entire cabinet, appointing only new ministers that had supported his campaign for a third term. Also Vice-President Tembo lost his post. Meanwhile, Chiluba announced he would not run for a third term. 

The MMD was however already split, Chiluba's followers working for an exclusion of MMD dissidents from the party, and thereby Parliament, and MMD dissidents preparing for an impeachment of President Chiluba. A split in two rivalling parties was unavoidable.

The newly formed FDD however still has few followers. Analysts attribute this to the fact that dissident MPs still do not want to risk their Parliamentary seat while preparing the impeachment of Chiluba. Over 80 former senior MMD members however already have joined the FDD, the most prominent of these being former Vice-President Tembo. 

Given the wide support these former MMD dissidents obtained in civil society during the campaign against Chiluba's third term, which ended in riots in Lusaka, the FDD is given a fair chance to challenge the MMD's absolute hold on power in the forthcoming elections. 

The MMD until now counted on an absolute majority of 131 of the 158 Zambian Members of Parliament. During the campaigns an favour and contra of Chiluba, however, 80 of the 158 MPs signed a petition vowing to oppose Chiluba's constitutional amendment.

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