T NATIONAL OVERVIEW he year under review was bridled with numerous tumultuous events. The Zambian political and social landscape was peppered with incidents ranging from the death of a student from Copperbelt University who was injured by police during a protest, to the bombing of a privately-owned media house in Lusaka and the declaration of a state of emergency following a spate of arson attacks on public installations. Hostility and suspicion towards the State in 2017 continued, based on antagonism built up during the 2016 general elections, the closure of The Post and the disputed election results by the leader of the main opposition party. Media freedom came under the glare of the spotlight in June 2016, with the closure of The Post - one of the oldest privately-owned dailies in Zambia - due to a dispute with the Zambian Revenue Authority. This was seen by critics as a move to eradicate an alternative critical voice ahead of the crucial election process of voting. Soon after the elections, Hakainde Hichilema, leader of the opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) disputed the results, refused to recognise Edgar Chagwa Lungu as President and subsequently petitioned the Constitutional Court to nullify the results on procedural grounds. The lack of recognition of the elected President was seen, by some, as the cause of the opposition leader’s motorcade refusing to give way to the presidential motorcade in 2017 120 So This is Democracy? 2017 when both leaders headed to a traditional ceremony called Kuomoka in the western province. This resulted in Mr Hichilema being charged with treason for threatening the life of the President1. During the period under review, a spate of arsons - one of which burned down the main market in Lusaka throwing hundreds of micro and small entrepreneurs into poverty- led President Lungu to declare a “Threatened State of Public Emergency” based on Article 31 of the Constitution, which lasted for 3 months. It was said to be an effort to tighten security within the country which had experienced electricity power lines burnt in suspected acts of sabotage, plunging sections of the Copperbelt province, including a football stadium, into darkness. While it was assumed that the state of emergency would hinder freedom of expression, freedom of movement and association, it was not so, because life continued as usual. Instead the provisions gave security wings legal capacity to effect arrests and carry out searches without much paper work to avoid loss of time in curbing acts of suspected sabotage of public installations. Based on the declaration, the acts of arson fizzled out. However traders grappled with their reduced assets and had to continue trading in the market despite the absence of a roof, amidst downpours and with minimal capital, as they were not able to recover from the loss caused by the fire. The glimmer of hope on the horizon was the birth of News Diggers! newspaper; which hit the streets on 18 December 2017 and was established by former staff members of the defunct The Post. News Diggers! started out as an online 1 http://www.bbc.com/news/av/worldafrica-39583817/how-road-rage-led-to-treasoncharge-in-zambia