Legislative-Executive Relations in Zambia: Parliamentary Reform on the Agenda

This article examines legislative-executive relations in Zambia’s Third Republic in the decade since the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) came to power in 1991. It argues that there is an imbalance in power favouring the executive. There is a deficit of political accountability on the part of the executive, both in terms of answerability and enforceability. The clarification and increase of parliament’s powers is only a partial remedy. The specialized institutions of ‘governance’ that are supposed to effect horizontal accountability by the executive can be considered complementary but, like civil society, they do not offer an alternative. Bibliogr., notes, ref.