GENERAL POLITICAL STRUCTURE 33. Zambia attained her independence from Britain in 1964. At independence, Zambia adopted a Constitution that provided for a multiparty democratic system. In 1973, Zambia adopted a new Constitution, which introduced a one-party system of Government. All political parties except the then-ruling United National Independence Party (UNIP) were proscribed. From the late 1980s Zambia experienced important political and constitutional developments. Those developments culminated in the amendment of the 1973 Constitution by the repealing of Article 4, which provided for UNIP as the sole political party. On 31 October 1991, multiparty presidential and general elections were held which ushered into power the newly formed Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD). In 1996, the Constitution was further amended making it mandatory that a Presidential candidate should be a second generation Zambian. The constitutional amendment also limited the Presidential term of office to two terms of five (5) years each. On 27 December 2001, Presidential and General elections were held which gave MMD a fresh mandate of five years. 34. The Zambian Constitution expressly provides for fundamental rights and freedoms in Part III. It also expressly provides safeguards against violation of fundamental rights and freedoms of the individual by the State. A significant development is the creation of the Human Rights Commission established in 1996. The Commission is mandated, interalia, to investigate human rights violations; maladministration of justice; and, to propose effective measures to prevent human rights abuses. The creation of the Commission is clearly a milestone in Zambia’s history and indicates the State party’s willingness to promote the enjoyment of human rights by the Zambian people. 34 Although the Commission has no