Over the past decades, Zambia has been met with democratic erosion that has spread around the globe. Many aspects of a once functioning democracy are being pulled back such as media freedoms, adequate levels of government transparency, and the decline in free and fair elections. 

Daniel Ziblatt and Steven Levistky’s “How Democracies Die” outlines the four key indicators of authoritarian behavior which poses threats to democracy: 1) Rejection of (or weak commitment to) democratic rules of the game 2) Denial of the legitimacy of political opponents 3) Toleration or encouragement of violence 4) Readiness to curtail civil liberties of opponents, including media. Zambia is currently exhibiting a decline in points 2 and 4, particularly with their decline of media freedom (Ziblatt and Levitsky 24-25).

Media freedom is vital to the health of a democracy as it allows media and informed citizens to hold their representatives accountable, provide easy methods for governments to be transparent, and creates a politically active and knowledgeable electorate. However, under President Edgar Lungu, Zambia saw more frequent suppression of independent media through suspensions and legislative action to assist his political campaigns.

Zambia had a critical presidential election in 2021, incumbent Edgar Lungu of the Patriotic Front (PF) party was running against Hakainde Hilchilema of the United Party for National Development (UPND) (CRS Reports). Fearing potentially losing his presidency, Lungu took many steps to weaken independent media outlets and attempt to quiet any support for Hilchilema and the opposition party. 

On April 9th, 2020, Zambia broadcasting regulator, the Independent Broadcasting Authority canceled Prime TV’s license (CPJ). Prime TV was one of Zambia’s most prominent independent media sources prior to their suspension. The regulator stated that this move was “in the interest of public safety, security, peace, welfare, or good order.” Prime TV typically presented coverage that was critical of Lungu and the Zambian government at the time which is likely why the government suspended their broadcasting license as the next election cycle was starting up. 

Prime TVs suspension was not the only instance of Lungu trying to silence his critics. About a year later, in March 2021, the government passed the Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act (CIPESA). This now applied similar restrictions that some television and legacy media sources were facing to the digital and new media world. Lungu’s rationale for the adoption of this law was “to protect citizens from abuse by people who feel they can do or say whatever they want using the veil of cyberspace.” 

Rhetoric around “fake news” and cybercrime portrays that the information being posted online is targeted and not factual which is dangerous if a president can mute any criticism against themselves and paint it as false. Most Zambian citizens felt as though this law was passed to allow the government to have control over what gets posted online and what doesn’t. Not only that, but the government would likely punish anybody they caught posting information they did not want to reach the public, mostly any comments criticizing the incumbent Lungu. 

Throughout an election cycle, it is imperative for media outlets to be able to speak on what they see as the pros and cons of all candidates. By intimidating journalists into not criticizing Lungu, the Zambian government is distorting the fairness of the election as well as causing their electorate to be less informed. If citizens cannot easily access unbiased and accurate information, democracy cannot function well. 

Undermining the independence of the media is just a stepping stone for authoritarian executives to dismantle all of the institutional checks preventing them from sole rule. One of the key aspects of a democracy is the ability for citizens and other politicians alike to hold their representatives and leaders accountable. Certainly, not having access to all the information on what executives are doing prevents citizens from properly holding representatives accountable. Without accountability, the executive can slowly take more steps towards authoritarianism. 

Despite all of this effort to suppress dissent and only keep outlets that attacked and delegitimize political opponents, Hichilema defeated Lungu in the 2021 election. Hichilema understood that Lungu’s actions were dangerous for democracy and after winning the election claimed that the UPND was not going to shut down independent media or try to control the flow of information (MISA). 

Throughout the Hichilema presidency, journalists still face obstacles in freely presenting the fair, unbiased news as UPND supporters frequently threaten or obstruct the work of those who criticize the party/current government. This self-censorship is a dangerous pattern in Zambia. One would hope that under a new president under a new party, there would be calls against these actions and a transition towards allowing journalists to publish factual information, regardless if it is critical of the current administration or not. 

In conclusion, Zambia’s democracy took a decline under Patriotic Front President Edgar Lungu. Despite removing the party from the executive, Hakainde Hilchilema of the United Party for National Development (UPND) has not made large improvements to rebuild the democratic principles in the country. In regards to media freedom, journalists continue to self-censor themselves for their own protection and although the federal government hasn’t enacted extreme legislation since Lungu’s departure, they also have not done enough to promote free, independent media that regularly holds leaders accountable. When factual information cannot flow easily, citizens become less informed and risk losing civil liberties. These would lead to the downfall of democracy as a whole in a nation and pave the way for authoritarian rule.