At stake in this election:

• The office of President of Zambia

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Rupiah BANDA *
• Head of Government: President Rupiah BANDA **
• Assembly: Zambia has a unicameral National Assembly with 158 seats.

* Vice President Rupiah BANDA has been the acting president since President Levy Mwanawasa's death in August 2008.

** The president is both the chief of state and head of government.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by popular vote.
• President is elected by popular vote.
• In the National Assembly, 150 members are elected by popular vote to serve 5-year terms and 8 members are appointed by the President to serve 5-year terms.

Main Candidates in the Presidential race:

• Rupiah BANDA
  Party: Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD)
• Michael SATA
  Party: Patriotic Front (PF)
• Hakainde HICHILEMA***
  Party: United Party for National Development (UPND)
• Godfrey MIYANDA
  Party: Heritage Party (HP)

*** In the 2006 presidential election, UPND was a member of the United Democratic Alliance, a coalition of political parties, all of whom backed Hakainde HICHILEMA as presidential candidate.

Last Presidential election:

• President Levy MWANAWASA, elected to office on September 28, 2006, died in August 2008. This election is a by-election to fill the vacated office of President, as required by Zambia's constitution in the event of a president's untimely departure from office.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 11,669,534 (July 2008 est.)
• Registered Voters: 3,944,135 (October 2008 )