Zambia: 1969 Referendum results

Updated April 2006

The independence constitution entrenched certain clauses protecting fundamental rights by requiring that they could only be amended by a two-thirds majority in parliament and approval of the electorate in a referendum. The 1969 referendum was held to seek approval for the amendment of the constitution to enable parliament to amend entrenched clauses with a two-thirds majority from without resort to referenda (Electoral Reform Technical Committee 2005, 159). Gear Kajoba (1998) put the issue at stake thus:

In order to make privately held land by absentee land lords available for use by Zambians, a Referendum was held in 1969 to make it possible for the Zambian government to remove constitutional protection of entrenched clauses.

A "yes" vote signified approval for the retention of the referendum requirement, while a "no" vote favoured the removal of the requirement.

References

ELECTORAL REFORM TECHNICAL COMMITTEE 2005 Final Report, [www] http://www.ertc.gov.zm/images/documents/ Final%20ERTC%20Recommendations%20and%20Report.pdf (offline 5 Mar 2010).

KAJOBA, GM 1998 "The Landmarks of Zambia's Land Tenure System: from Protectionism to Empowerment" IN International Conference on Land Tenure in the Developing World with a focus on Southern Africa, Cape Town, 27 - 29 January, [www] http://www.mekonginfo.org/mrc/html/capetown/cape32.htm [opens new window] (accessed 5 Mar 2010).