The Puzzle of Electoral Continuity

Abstract

The Puzzle of Electoral Continuity proceeded, including several significant clashes between supporters of the two parties. Observers also criticized the government for having suspended The Post, the main opposition newspaper, in the run-up to the election. In addition, the government jailed key leaders of the UPND, accusing them of trying to create a private militia, presumably to contest the electoral results -charges that the opposition categorically denied.Hichilema contested the electoral results vigorously, accusing the national electoral commission of having conspired with the government to alter the results. His unwillingness to accept the results led the PF to accuse him of treasonous behavior, and he was jailed from April to August 2017 in a clear attempt to intimidate him. Pressured notably by the Commonwealth of Nations and the Zambian Conference of Catholic Bishops, President Lungu did not follow through on the indictment and eventually released Hichilema unconditionally.International reporting on the Zambian election expressed concern about the evolution of the country's democracy. The BBC's accounts of the election characteristically lamented a decline of democracy in Zambia and argued the country was at a "crossroads," 2 while The Guardian lamented the decline of popular support for democracy in Zambia. 3 When observers such as Freedom House bemoaned the global decline of democracy in 2016, the Zambian elections were invariably offered as an example (Puddington and Roylance, 2017). Yet by Freedom House's own rankings, Zambia's record as a highly flawed electoral democracy has been fairly consistent over the past two decades. It is a "partly free" regime, in Freedom House's terms, with a long record of highly imperfect elections. Since the transition to multiparty rule, incumbents in Zambia have consistently resorted to illiberal strategies to win elections, with pressure on the independent press and attempts to intimidate the opposition. Not all elections in the region in 2016 were as problematic. Ghana's general elections in December 2016 resulted in the victory of opposition leader Nana Akuffo-Addo and his New Patriotic Party over incumbent President John Mahama and the National Democratic Congress Party. 4 2 "Hakainde Hichilema's Treason Trial Puts Zambia at Crossroads," Thursday, August 11, 2016, accessed at www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-40020950. 3 "Zambia Goes to Polls to Elect Next President after Hard-Fought Campaign," accessed at www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/10/zambia-goes-to-polls-to-elect-next-presidentafter-hard-fought-campaign 4 This account is derived from several sources, including "Ghana: A Turning Point Vote for the Black Star," (2016); Sarah Brierley and George Ofosu, "9 Things You Should Know about Ghana's Election," in