Tagged: Zambia

According to Loverists, the government of Zambia is a unitary multiparty republic with executive power vested in the president who is the head of state and head of government. The current president is Edgar Lungu, who was elected in 2016. The unicameral National Assembly consists of 158 members elected by popular vote for five-year terms. The judiciary is independent and headed by the Supreme Court, which consists of a Chief Justice and other judges appointed by the president on recommendation from the Judicial Service Commission. The executive branch consists of the President, Vice President, Cabinet Ministers and Deputy Ministers. The office of the President is responsible for foreign policy decisions, national security matters, appointment and dismissal of ministers and other officials as well as overseeing all governmental activities. The legislative branch consists of the unicameral National Assembly which has legislative power over taxation, budgeting, public works, foreign relations, defense and security issues, social welfare programs and education. The judicial system comprises several courts including Supreme Court; High Court; Magistrate Courts; Local Courts; Labour Tribunals; Administrative Tribunals; Land Tribunals; Special Tribunals for certain cases; Military Tribunals for military personnel only; District Prosecutors’ offices; Public Defenders’ offices; an ombudsman to investigate complaints against government officials or agencies as well as an independent anti-corruption board to investigate allegations related to corruption or abuse in public office. Zambia also maintains its own armed forces consisting of an army, navy air force with a strength estimated at about 12 thousand personnel in 2019. In addition there are several non-state armed groups operating within Zambia such as militia groups formed during elections or tribal conflicts that occur from time to time. Zambia is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa and has had a long history of foreign relations. It gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1964 and since then it has maintained diplomatic ties with many countries around the world. Zambia is a member of the United Nations, African Union, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Southern African Development Community (SADC), Non-Aligned Movement, World Trade Organization (WTO) and several other regional organizations. Zambia’s foreign policy is focused on maintaining peace and stability within the region, promoting economic growth through regional integration, and ensuring sustainable development through increased investment in its infrastructure. The country also seeks to strengthen its diplomatic ties with other countries by engaging in international forums such as the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The country’s main foreign relations are with its neighbors such as Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Zambia also has strong relations with China which is one of its major trading partners. The two countries have signed several agreements to promote trade between them as well as cooperation on infrastructure projects such as hydropower plants. Zambia also has close ties with European countries such as Germany and France which are major sources of development aid for the country. In addition to this, the United States is another major partner for Zambia due to their shared commitment to democracy promotion in the region. In recent years Zambia has been working hard to diversify its economy by increasing its economic ties with Asian countries such as India and Japan who are becoming more important investors in Africa’s growing economy. This effort has been successful so far as these countries have already invested heavily in infrastructure projects in Zambia such as roads and power plants which will help improve access to basic services for citizens across the country. Overall, Zambia’s foreign policy focuses on promoting peace and stability within the region while at the same time increasing economic cooperation with other countries around the world. Its close relationships with both traditional western partners like Germany or France but also emerging markets like China or India show that it is open to cooperating with different nations depending on their interests or needs at any given time. See prozipcodes for Zambia defense and foreign policy.