A former British colony called Northern Rhodesia, Zambia became independent on 24 October 1964. The multiparty elections of 1991 put an end to the long presidency of Kenneth Kaunda (1964-91) and to the long predominance of the UNIP, the sole ruling party from 1972 to 1990. From 1991 to 2011 power remained in the hands of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy, then replaced by the Patriotic Front in 2011.
According to the Constitution of 28 May 1996, the President of the Republic, who is also head of the government, is elected by direct suffrage for a five-year term, as is the National Assembly (164 members, of which 156 are elected and 8 are appointed by the President), which holds legislative power. In addition, there is a Council of Chiefs, a consultative body with 50 representatives of the different ethnic groups. The legal system is based on British Common Law.

Defence.
Military service is voluntary.

Economic situation.
In 2017-18, the increase in agricultural productivity and the rise in the price of copper drove growth, while the strengthening of the kwacha limited inflation. An ambitious infrastructural plan, with Chinese financing, increased the public debt. Foreign investment played a considerable role in the mining, farming and manufacturing segments. Due to major disparity in the distribution of wealth, economic growth has little impact on the poverty that affects most of the population.

Primary sector.
Cereals (maize and wheat) are mostly growth for domestic consumption as well as vegetable and cassava. Commercially grown agricultural products include maize, sugar cane, tobacco, cotton and sunflower seed. The forests are a rich natural resource, providing teak and mahogany. Fishing is important in Lakes Mweru, Kariba, Tanganyika and Bangweulu, and in the River Kafue and River Luapula.

Secondary sector.
Mineral mining plays a crucial role in the economy of Zambia. The main product is copper, mined in Luanshya, Mufulira, Kansanshi, Chibuluma, Chambishi, Nchanga, Rhokana, Bwana and Mkubwa. There are mines for nickel (at Bindura), manganese (at Chiwefwe and Kampumba), coal (ta Maamba), cadmium (at Kabwe), lead, tin, pyrites, and emeralds. Gold, silver, selenium and, above all, cobalt are also produced as by-products of copper refining. The mineral-rich area of Kabwe is supplied by the hydroelectric power stations on the Mulungushi and Lunsemfwa rivers; energy coming from the Kariba plant, on the Zambezi, is shared with Zimbabwe; other power stations are in operation near the Victoria Falls, to serve Livingstone area, and on the Kafue River. Important industrial plants include those for the concentration and electro-refining of copper (at Nkana, Mufulira, Chingola, Ndola, Luanshya) as well as the metal-working plants at Kabwe.
At Ndola there is a refinery using oil coming via a pipeline from Dar es Salaam (Tanzania). There are also some chemical plants (at Kafue), cement works (near Luanda and Ndola), rubber plants (tyres at Ndola), textile mills (at Kafue), machine industries (assembly and production of tractors at Lusaka, automobiles at Ndola and Livingstone), sugar refineries (Ndola and Nakambala) and tobacco plants, breweries (beer) and paper mills.

Tertiary sector.
The trade balance is in deficit, despite the export of raw materials, largely minerals and metals (especially copper, nickel and cobalt). Tobacco and timber are also important. The main trading partners are South Africa, Switzerland, China and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The central bank is the Bank of Zambia. There is a stock exchange in Lusaka.