Northern Rhodesia the election with the Federal party that their voters would vote for the other's candidates in some "national" constituencies, Nkumbula agreed to work in a coalition which had Kaunda as Prime Minister, and the two and their parties worked in reasonable harmony until a pre-independence election on 1964 where, with a much wider franchise, the United National Independence Party gained 55 of the 75 parliamentary seats. The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland was formally dissolved on 31 December 1963, and the country became the independent Republic of Zambia on 24 October 1964, with Kaunda as President. Source: Whitaker's Almanack The
1964 Southern Rhodesian independence referendum made a Unilateral Declaration of Independence, making the country a de facto independent state until returning to British colonial rule in 1979 following the Lancaster House Agreement.The British Government did not accept Southern Rhodesian independence as the referendum was not representative of all of Southern Rhodesia. Voter turnout was 61.9%. 1964 Southern Rhodesian independence referendum A referendum on independence was held in Southern Rhodesia on 5 November 1964. The question put to voters was "Are you in favour of or against Southern Rhodesia obtaining independence on the basis of the 1961 Constitution of Southern Rhodesia. Ian Smith called a meeting