Zambia: Kaunda Kayoed

In the country’s first multiparty election since 1968, voters emphatically rejected founding father Kenneth Kaunda in a landslide for the opposition. Kaunda, 67, had been President since Zambia gained independence from Britain in 1964 and led black Africa against apartheid. But his authoritarian rule and economic mismanagement led to riots and an aborted coup last year that forced him to legalize rival parties.

The new President is Frederick Chiluba, 48, chairman of the 300,000-member Zambia Congress of Trade Unions. He campaigned on a platform of democracy and human rights, vowing to replace the bankrupt socialist economy with a free market. At election rallies he demanded of supporters, “Are you ready to sweat for Zambia?” His answer came in the form of 80% of the votes cast.

Kaunda’s people would have preferred him to step down gracefully instead of fighting to the bitter end. But Kaunda’s lasting legacy may be the election itself. By accepting the results of a free, hard-fought contest, he provided a democratic model for the rest of a continent still dominated by one-party dictatorships.