T he year 2015 kicked off with elections held on 20 January 2015 to elect a president to serve the remainder of the term of President Michael Sata, following his death on October 28, the previous year. The Zambian government was complying with Constitutional requirement which stipulates that a fresh election must be held within 90 days following the death of the President. With the change of government, came a reshuffle of leaders and of particular significance to the media sector was the appointment of the outspoken Chishimba Kambwili who at his swearing in ceremony promised to make the enactment of the access to information bill a priority. The new leadership promised an open and communicative governance system with regular updates of information which partially came through when President Lungu held a press conference which was the first briefing by a President since the PF took office in 2011. The polarisation which has plagued the media sector for some time, was more visible in the pre and post Presidential election period as certain media houses put their weight behind certain candidates – sometimes openly and at other times by implication. In November 2015 the Zambia Parliament passed the Constitution of Zambia Bill Number 16 and The Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Bill Number 17 when they came up for their second reading after heated debates from both sides of the House. Earlier in March, Minister Kwasimbili told the 84 So This is Democracy? 2015 state broadcaster that Government was contemplating combining a referendum with the August 2016 general elections in order to cut on the costs. The economic downturn impacted directly on the media houses, especially print media and the major daily newspapers announced increases in their cover prices due to the exorbitant costs of ink newsprint and printing. Legal impediments against freedom of expression continued with the arrest of various individuals on archaic penal code provisions that stifle free speech such as the defamation of the president clause in section 69 as well as other vague laws on state secrets, sedition and obscene matters. The year was therefore a bittersweet year as most of the promises of media reforms that characterised the Patriotic Front’s rise to power in 2011 remained unfulfilled by the end of the year, including among others, the enactment of the Access to information bill. FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION Steps to reform media laws, but no roadmap In a move that was widely welcomed, President Edgar Lungu directed the Ministry of Justice and other stakeholders to act on the need to reform the Public Order Act and other laws which impede on the freedom of expression, association and assembly such as section 53 of the Penal Code on Prohibited Publications, section 177 on obscenity and the State Security Act among others. He said this during his address to Parliament on September 18, 2015 – his first statement to Parliament since assuming office. This was promising news as the draft Constitution contains clauses that explicitly