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Zambians have turned out in large numbers to vote in the general elections, observers say is the closest contest in the country’s history.
Most polling stations opened at 06:30 Hours and are expected to close at 18 Hours in the evening.
Some voters in the capital Lusaka made their way to the polling stations as early as 04 Hours.
Many observers have said the early turn out might cast doubts of voter apathy which has characterised the recent elections in Zambia.
There have been no incidents of violence so far as the process has taken off peacefully in most parts of the country although the run up to the vote was marred by sporadic incidents of violence.
There are nine presidential candidates taking part in the election but the race is clearly between incumbent Edgar Lungu and his main challenger Hakainde Hichilema of the opposition UPND.
Zambians also voting for a Referendum on a new Bill of Rights.
The country’s Elections Commission has pledged to release the final results within 48 Hours.
Security at polling stations is tight and many local and international election observers are moving about monitoring the process.
There are a total of 6, 698, 372 voters registered in the 2016 voters register.
The winner of the 2016 elections should get more than 50 percent of the vote after changes to the constitution.
President Edgar Lungu took time to vote at Andrew Mwenya Polling Station in Chawama at 10hrs while his running mate Inonge Wina voted at Muoyo basic school polling station in Nalolo Constituency at 9:40 hours
Meanwhile, FODEP says the voting process, which is currently underway, started peacefully.
“Our monitors across the country have observed that there were no critical incidences when voting started in the polling stations. Our monitors have reported that polling stations opened in time apart from a few that started the voting process a few minutes after 06:00 hours,” says FODEP President Shepard Chilombe.
Mr Chilomne said FODEP has deployed 5, 000 monitors in 96 constituencies, 74 districts in the 10 provinces and through these monitors, we have observed that there may be low turnout on the referendum vote.
EU EOM Zambia Chief Observer Cecile Kyenge talks to voters waiting to cast their votes-in Lusaka.Kabwata aspiring candidate Maiko Zulu casts his vote
“Our monitors have observed that in many polling stations, voters were shunning the referendum booth, which was an indication that the referendum vote was likely to receive a low turnout. FODEP monitors also observed that so far, presiding officers were conducting themselves professionally,” he said.
Polling stations in most parts of the country opened at 06 hours and are expected to close at 18 hours.
In most polling station where ZNBC is covering shows that people have turned up in large numbers to cast their votes.
In Lusaka, long queues had formed as early as 05 hours at most polling stations.
Mark Ziligone reports that at Andrew Mwenya polling station presiding officer Mubiyana Mwenda officially declared the polling station open at exactly 06 hours.
Mr. Mwenda says about 15 people had cast their votes after 30 minutes of opening the polling station was declared open.
And at Vera Chiluba polling station in Mutendere long queues had formed as early as 04:30 hours.
In Livingstone ZNBC’s Elias Lungu reports that the situation is calm and that polling stations opened at 06 hours.
Victoria hall presiding officer Dao Habasimbi opened the polling station at 06 hours.
In Kafue District voting at Kafue Township’s Council Hall opened at exactly 06:00 hours.
Presiding Officer Michael Nyondo officially opened the polling station. Scores of voters had gathered as early as 05:00 hours to cast their votes.
One of the voters Denty Kanchele expressed happiness that the voting process was progressing well and expressed hope that the country does not go for a re-run.
Meanwhile, in Kasama Ruth Mwale reports that voting at Buseko polling station started at 06 hours. Presiding officer at buseko hall David Chanda says he expects over 3-thousand 4-hundred people to cast their votes. Mr Chanda said the polling station has four streams of voters to enable people to cast their vote.
And a check at Chiba school found voters lined up waiting to cast their vote. Presiding officer Ronald Singapore said people started queuing up as early as 04 hours. At Bwalya polling station, the voting started at 06hrs and are expecting 822 people to cast their votes.
Scores of people in Mansa and Bahati constituencies of Luapula province have thronged various polling stations to cast their votes. ZNBC ‘s Lillian Kalaba reports that long queues had formed as early as 05 hours in the morning at Council Rest House, Mutende and Civic centre. Returning Officer Evans Lumande declared Kaole polling station open at exactly 06 hours in the morning.
And Luapula Police Chief Hendson Namachile disclosed that Over 8-hundred police officers have been deployed in Luapula to maintain peace.
Meanwhile district electoral officer Davies Bwalya has urged residents to remain peaceful and wait for the results. Luapula has over 500 000 registered voters.
Voters waiting the polling station to be opened.Voters waiting the polling station to be opened.Voters waiting the polling station to be opened.The Zambia Police trying to control the voters flock in the poling stationThe Zambia Police trying to control the voters flock in the poling stationKamwala Home Craft Center Polling Station Presiding Officer Beatrice Mulevu inspecting the ballots before the starting of voting.Kamwala Home Craft Center Polling Station Presiding Officer Beatrice Mulevu inspecting the ballots before the starting of voting.Kamwala Home- Craft Center Polling Station Presiding Officer Beatrice Mulevu ceremoniously declaring the opening of the polling station.Kamwala Home- Craft Center Polling Station Presiding Officer Beatrice Mulevu ceremoniously declaring the opening of the polling station.
A soccer fan shows the Patrotic Front ‘donchi kubeba’ symbol in support of the Zambia National Soccer team in Lusaka.
By Mutinta Himunyanga
The run-up to Zambia’s 11th of August 2016 elections has been characterised by violence and intimidation of political opponents. In addition, the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) has been facing allegations of abusing state institutions, such as the police, military and Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) to bully perceived political opponents. In response to the Machiavellian political tactics by the ruling party, the opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) launched the “Watermelon Campaign”.
The ruling Patriotic Front (PF) is describing the UPND “Operation Watermelon” as evil and a recipe for bloodshed. The “Watermelon Campaign” draws similar parallels to the PF’s “Donchi Kubeba” campaign during the 2011 elections campaign.
The reaction of the ruling PF to watermelon campaign show a political incumbency in panic under huge distress. The PF knows the effectiveness of non-violent underground campaigns having been beneficiaries of such a campaign strategy in the 2011 elections. The big question is whether the panic reaction of the PF is driven by the fear of the power of such a strategy or real concerns for violence?
In the 2011 general elections the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) were busy splashing out a lot of money and campaign materials to bribe voters. In addition, President Rupiah Banda and the MMD allegedly resorted to political violence and intimidation of voters. In response, the PF launched an underground and non-violent campaign strategy “Donchi Kubeba” (Don’t talk, your vote is your secret) to deal with then ruling MMD. The strategy successfully worked well as the PF triumphed in the 2011 elections.
The MMD rallies and meetings were highly subscribed, creating a lull that, it was still popular and yet what people were doing was shouting MMD slogans, pocket their money, materials and in turn voted for the PF.
To get more insights into the “Watermelon Campaign”, I spoke to a PF and UPND cadre based at the highly politicised Intercity Bus Terminal and Lusaka City Market respectively.
John Mwape (not real name) a strong PF supporter and a bus conductor at Intercity Bus Terminal said, “Markets and bus stations have been heavily politicized areas and a number of incidents have happened where people’s shops are rioted or burnt down because they are suspected of supporting the opposition”.
For Mwape, the politicisation of markets and bus terminus is not anything new and was not started by the PF. He argued that it part and parcel of Zambian politics. Mwape noted that the local city council has failed to take charge of the markets and bus stations and this has been the trend dating as far back to the time of the ruling MMD.
Mwape defended President Lungu, statement calling Operation Watermelon as evil saying the plan is evil because by wearing PF campaign materials the opposition can commit violence in the name of the PF. He argued that by wearing PF regalia the opposition is unnecessarily provoking and mocking the ruling party. For Mwape this could potential cause bloodshed if one is caught.
Susan Mwanza (not real name) a fruit and vegetable trader in Lusaka’s City Market defended Operation Watermelon. She said the PF is going to get a test of its own medicine come Thursday’s elections.
Mwanza said, this year the UPND is the one playing the Donchi Kubeba on PF, we are all appearing green outside but inside our hearts we know who exactly we are voting for.
Mwanza added that Operation Watermelon is a mind game and this is disturbing PF so much as it is torturing their minds on whom exactly is on their side.
Mwanza disclosed that in a market like City market where levies, shop rentals and all affairs of the market which includes security and cleaning are controlled by the ruling party, it is very dangerous for her to openly come out in the open on her political preferences.
“I could lose my shop and everything that I have invested here, if I openly came out as opposing the PF and therefore, the Operation Watermelon is a plan that works out well for people that are in places like markets” said Mwanza.
Mwanza said, violence is so much in Lusaka and Copperbelt provinces because these where the strongholds of PF but things have changed this year as the two provinces have split with both PF and UPND enjoying a fifty-fifty chance of winning.
And UPND has maintained that Operation Watermelon is a safety strategy aimed at protecting its members from been attacked by PF.
And Late President Michael Sata in 2011 supported the Donchi Kubeba theory and encouraged PF supporters to attend rallies and functions organised by MMD and other political parties among them the UPND and FDD and collect any gifts, money or materials
Mulenga Sata (son to late President Sata) now in the opposition UPND, claims that the police has failed them and is biased towards PF. Sata notes that his party has resolved that they only way to protect themselves is to appear green outside and remain red inside.
The only reason that President Lungu is calling this strategy evil is because he is fully aware of the impact that such a strategy has in terms of the election outcomes, Sata has charged.
For Sata, Operation Watermelon is Donchi Kubeba part two. He claims that, right now the PF is not sure how much support it has on the ground because the numbers of people wearing and shouting their slogans does not mean anything. It is the votes that will count at the end of the day, says Sata.
However, what remains to be seen is whether the UPND’s “Watermelon Campaign” will enjoy the same success as “Donchi Kubeba”? Zambians will decide with their vote tomorrow on the 11th of August 2016. It is only tomorrow’s elections, which will tell whether history has managed to repeat itself.
Another member of Team Zambia tumbled out of the Rio Olympics in Brazil on Wednesday as medal hopes continue to slim.
Female swimmer Jade Howard failed to qualify for the 100 meters freestyle semifinals after bowing out of the 2016 Olympics in the heats in Rio de Janeiro.
Howard finished 8th in heat two with a time of 58.74 second outside the 54.50 second top 16 cut she needed to make the penultimate stage ahead of Friday’s final.
Howard joins Mathew Punza in the Judo and Boxer Ben Muziyo eliminated from Team Zambia’s seven-member Rio representatives in Brazil.
Today, Thursday, Ralph Goveia will be in the pool in the heats of the men’s 100 meters butterfly.
Thereafter 100 meters men’s rep and 2012 Olympics semifinalists Gerald Phiri will take to the track in the heats on August 13.
Africa female 400 meters champion Kabange Mupopo will also be in action on the same date in the first of two events for her in Rio starting with in the heats in her speciality.
Attorney General Likando KalalukaAttorney General Likando Kalaluka says the inauguration of the winning Presidential Candidate in the 2016 General Election will be done seven days after the declaration of results, if there is no petition.
Mr Kalaluka says this is pursuant to article 105 sub-article one and two of the amended constitution.
Meanwhile Mr Kalaluka says the sitting President would continue to serve pending the Presidential Election re-run if there is no clear cut winner.
Mr. Kalaluka says this follows the 50 percent plus one electoral threshold for the winning Presidential Candidate enshrined in the amended constitution.
He said the re-run is supposed to take place 37 days after the elections.
And Mr. Kalaluka says the Speaker of the National Assembly would be a caretaker if there is a Presidential Petition before the Constitutional Court disposable the case within 14 days.
He said the winning Presidential Candidate is also eligible to be sworn -in seven days after the disposal of the petition, if he is declared duly elected.
Mr. Kalaluka was speaking at a press briefing in Lusaka yesterday.
At the same function Mr. Kalaluka said the Attorney General Office concurs with President Edgar Lungu’s position to accept the judgment of the Constitution Court that Cabinet and Deputy Ministers must vacate office after the dissolution of parliament.
FILE: A Woman voting voting for the new Republican president at Kaumbwe Polling station in Chipata
Hangala Siachiwena and Michael Wahman discuss four key factors that could determine the outcome of the 2016 Zambian elections.
On 11 August 2016 Zambians return to the polls. At the elections, voters will elect a president, members of parliament, and local representatives as well as vote in a referendum on an enhanced bill of rights and procedures for future constitutional amendments.
It is only 19 months since Zambia last arranged elections. In fact, it appears like the country has been in a permanent state of political campaigning since the 2015 by-election triggered by the passing of incumbent President Michael Sata.
The by-election was intensely contested by two front-runners: Edgar Lungu of the incumbent Patriotic Front (PF) and the United Party for National Development’s (UPND) Hakainde Hichilema (popularly referred to as “HH”). Lungu was able to carry last year’s elections with a paper-thin margin of only 27.000 votes.
Zambia’s 2016 presidential election is widely regarded a re-run of that which took place in 2015. At first glance, not much seems to have changed. The two main contenders remain the same and few analysts predict a strong third-party bid.
However, many factors could potentially shift the results from 2015. In this blog post we will concentrate on four especially important factors: the uncertainty of the urban vote, realignment within the main political parties, the inclusion of new voters, and the presence of political violence. These four factors are likely to determine the outcome of the election and will also shed some important light onto some larger debates within African electoral research.
The urban vote
As noted above the PF’s winning margin in 2015 was miniscule. For the opposition the key to winning the election is to identify where to make up for the small PF advantage. HH has picked a running mate, Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba (popularly referred to as” GBM”), from outside the UPND’s traditional strongholds.
GBM comes from the rural and heavily PF-leaning Northern province. UPND is hoping that their choice of running mate will help them make inroads in the north.
However, the rural vote is generally not anticipated to change drastically from 2015. Instead, the election may well be decided in the urban areas.
In a blog post on the 2015 by-election we wrote specifically about research on the African urban vote. Research shows how African incumbent parties have traditionally had a hard time holding on to their urban support.
In Zambia, this was very much the case with the former ruling party, the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD). MMD went from being a dominant force in the cities in 1991 to becoming an almost exclusively rural party in the 2011 election. In last year’s by-election PF held on to both urban provinces, Lusaka and Copperbelt.
However, UPND increased its vote share from 11 to 36% in Lusaka and from 4 to 24% in Copperbelt.
The importance of the urban vote is manifested by the political parties’ frequent campaigning in the cities. For UPND to carry the election they will need to increase their support in Lusaka and the Copperbelt, especially given the increased number of registered voters in both these two provinces.
Shifting Alignments
Zambian politics is known for ever shifting elite realignments. Such re-alignments create considerable uncertainty.
This election is certainly no exception. The opposition has benefited from important government defections. Hichilema’s running mate, GBM, left PF last year. Some former Sata allies including former Vice President Guy Scott, who campaigned with Lungu in last year’s election, have also joined UPND. However, UPND has also suffered some defections to the rivaling PF.
The former ruling party, the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) fragmented into two factions after its loss in 2011.
One of the factions is now in alliance with the ruling party and the other with UPND. These defectors are all politicians with national profiles, in addition, it is also likely that similar political realignments are taking place at the local level.
The politics of coalition formation has attracted considerable interest in recent African political science. The ability of the opposition to attract heavyweight government politicians suggests a general perception that the opposition is a viable alternative in this election.
However, the question remaining is how important these realignments will be for electoral outcomes. Will voters follow their locally popular leaders or will they stay loyal to their parties?
New Voters
Voter turnout in the 2015 presidential election was remarkably low, at only 32%. The turnout was likely affected by the timing of the election (during the rainy season) and the short campaign period. Turnout in 2016 is likely to increase. Moreover, approximately 1.7 million new voters have been added to the voters roll.
The 2015 election was conducted using the 2011 voter register, effectively disenfranchising all voters who had turned 18 after the 2011 election. In this election, these will be able to vote for the first time. Almost half of the new voters are in three of the country’s ten provinces; the Copperbelt and Lusaka (traditionally PF strongholds) and Southern (traditionally a UPND stronghold).
Although the addition of new, mostly young, electorate is crucial it is important to note that research on African youth voters have shown that they are less likely to vote than their older compatriots.
Traditionally the PF has done well among the urban youth by focusing its campaign on issues that resonated with this particular constituency, such as lower taxes, jobs, and the promise of “more money in people’s pockets.” However, whether PF’s popularity among the youth will withstand amid high youth unemployment and deficiencies in the educational system, remains unclear.
Political Violence
Zambia has a reputation for holding relatively peaceful elections. In Strauss and Taylo’s election violence classification of Africa, Zambia qualifies as one of the least violent countries on the continent. Sadly, the 2016 election has seen unprecedented levels of violence and intimidation.
The high levels of violence have overshadowed much of the substantive debate in the electoral campaign. Much violence has been low-scale and not made it into the national press, while other events have been widely covered.
For instance, Lusaka police shot and killed a female UPND protester in July and UPND supporters attacked a parliamentary candidate from fellow opposition party Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) in Namwala (Southern province) earlier in the campaign period. The high levels of violence prompted the electoral commission to take the radical step of suspending campaigns for 10 days in Lusaka and Namwala.
For scholars interested in the effects of political violence the Zambian election will be an interesting case to observe.
Predominant Theories of election violence suggest that violence can lead to lower voter turnout, while also having a negative effect on the support for perpetrating parties. It will be particularly interesting to observe turnout levels in districts affected by violence.
Hangala Siachiwena is a PhD candidate in Development Studies at the University of Cape Town. Michael Wahman is Assistant Professor of Political Science at University of Missouri.
Given Lubinda
Former Agriculture Minister Given Lubinda says PF Ministers who overstayed in office illegally did so in good faith.
In an interview, Mr Lubinda who is recontesting the Kabwata parliamentary seat on the PF seat said the PF Ministers relied upon their own interpretation of the amended constitution in deciding to continue in their ministerial offices.
He said the Ministers respect the ruling of the constitution court because it is the final arbiter in constitutional matters.
“The issue of Ministers remaining in office after dissolution of Parliament is simply a matter of interpretation. We respect the ruling of the Constitutional Court but that is not to say that we misinterpreted the ruling or that our wrong was wrong. We based our decision to continue in office because we believed that the amended constitution allows us to do,” Mr Lubinda said.
He said former PF Ministers have no problem paying back the money they used during their illegal three month stay in office.
“I for one, I felt staying in office was taking away valuable time needed to spend on my campaigns because I was working so hard, sometimes I would be in the office even after hours whilst my opponents in Kabwata were busy campaigning,” he said.
He said the Ministers are waiting to be briefed on the estimates of the refunds they should make to government following the ruling.
Meanwhile, Former Energy Deputy Minister Charles Zulu has said he vacated the office immediately after dissolution of Parliament.
Mr Zulu who is Patriotic Front(PF) Luangeni constituency aspiring candidate said today that he vacated the office after dissolution of Parliament charging that he was not reporting for work.
“I vacated the office immediately after dissolution of Parliament and I was not even reporting for work,” he said.
Mr Zulu also said he was confident of winning the Parliament seat.
He explained that people were ready to vote for President Edgar Lungu and the PF party in the elections.
We have come to the end of an exciting and largely peaceful campaign for tomorrow’s General Election and national referendum.
Let me therefore thank all of you for the largely orderly and peaceful manner you conducted yourselves during the campaign period. Regretably, there were some isolated incidents of violence.
Let us all learn lessons from these experiences and commit to greater peace and unity of this country we all cherish. That is who we are as Zambians–peaceful, united, and tolerant of One another!
My family and I appreciates that there can be no greater honour this great nation has bestowed us than to accord me the opportunity to serve as president. Zambia, I thank you!
It is with immense gratitude and sense of pride that I saw the nation join me enthusiastically in my efforts to revive the great One Zambia, One nation motto.
We are all One people, regardless of our party affiliation. Let us all remain a united, peaceful and stable nation. Zambia is our common inheritance.
No One must be allowed to sacrifice the long-cherished peace we have enjoyed since the founding of this great republic.
Guidance: Executive oversight
As president, I want to assure the nation that I will do my very best to provide the necessary leadership to ensure there is law and order in the remaining phase of the electoral process tomorrow and beyond.
Let us all do our part in this regard and allow state institutions charged with the responsibility to deliver elections do their work without undue influence.
The electoral commission of Zambia (ECZ), the Zambia police including other state agencies must be left to discharge their duties without undue pressures.
The need to observe law and order cannot be over-empahsized in our quest to keep Zambia a Peaceful and United Nation.
Our duty as citizens now is to support this final phase of the electoral process to run its full course. That is to say voting, counting, verification and the announcement of the results.
We must all exercise patience by waiting for the ECZ to officially announce the final result in order to preserve the integrity of the outcome of the election.
Countrymen and Women,
As head of state, my primary responsibility is to protect life and property. I am sworn to ensure that this is achieved through the enforcement of law and order.
Let me therefore take this solemn opportunity to appeal to all citizens, our cherished visitors, monitors and cooperating partners to adhere to the rules and laws governing the election so that we minimize potential conflict.
Elections are a means of fair competition about ideas, not a platform for Enimty. Violence cannot, and should not be the Currrency of politics.
The currency of politics should be ideas. Extremism and other illiberal values have no place in our democracy.
We must all aspire to progressive virtues of tolerance as the bedrock of democratic co-existence amid diversity.
I implore all citizens to remain peaceful and seek the face of God. We are a Christian nation, and so we shall remain.
Let us all remain in constant prayer to ensure the blessings of the almighty God are with us.
The Almighty God who has guided this Great Republic will see us through to yet another epic chapter in the life of our nation.
Zambia Police stickers and billboard sensitising people not to resolve to violence motivated by politic sentiments. Courtesy of Jean Mandela
PRETORIA – The chances of political violence around Thursday’s elections in Zambia are “very high”, Institute for Security Studies (ISS) senior researcher Dimpho Motsamai said on Wednesday in Pretoria.
The Southern African region specialist said this was because the stakes were also very high in this “do or die” election and the two leading presidential candidates, President Edgar Lungu, the incumbent, and his main challenger, Hakainde Hichilema, leader of the United Party for National Development (UPND), were running neck and neck.
There had already been more than 50 incidents of political violence during the first half of this year, Motsamai said in an online ISS seminar.
One of the aggravating factors was that the police were seen to be handling political protests and violence in a partisan way.
And the government has been accused of abusing the Public Order act by refusing permission for peaceful opposition demonstrations and rallies. This could spark violence.
Motsamai noted that Lungu had beaten his old rival Hichilema by less than two percent in their last contest, the presidential by-election in January 2015, following the death in office of President Michael Sata.
Since then the UPND had been strengthened by the defection of several top leaders of Lungu’s Patriotic Front (PF) to its rival party, after their faction lost the internal fight to select the PF’s candidate in the 2015 elections.
This year for the first time, a presidential candidate would have to win an absolute majority of the vote, which was unlikely because there were nine candidates and because of the closeness of the race between Lungu and Hichilema.
So a rerun, which had to be held within 37 days, was likely. She predicted that if there was a rerun, Lungu would probably win by attracting the most backing of smaller parties and candidates.
Motsamai said another possible flashpoint could be if anyone disputed the results. She noted that Lungu had recently appointed both the head of the electoral commission and the president of the Constitutional Court. Both were from Lungu’s eastern provincial region and so were considered partisan.
Both occupied crucial positions in the elections and the Constitutional Court was the final arbiter of electoral disputes.
Lungu had also recently appointed family member Mungeni Mulenga as deputy president of the Constitutional Court. She had previously ruled in his favour in the internal succession fight in the PF.
Motsamai said if there were long delays in announcing the election results, as in the past, this could also raise tensions.
Another potential flashpoint could result from Zambians also voting on Thursday in a referendum on proposed changes to the constitution, to include new civil and political rights.
The problem was that only the 6.7 million people on the voters’ roll could vote in the presidential, parliamentary and other elections for political office, whereas 7.5 million were eligible to vote in the referendum.
This could create an opportunity for manipulation of the results, the opposition had complained.
She noted that the UPND was already warning that the election would be rigged, adding to the tension.
The elections were also taking place against the backdrop of the worst economic crisis in 10 years, mainly caused by the low international copper price, Zambia’s chief foreign income earner.
The cost of living was high, many people could not afford basic services and a “staggering” 60 percent of Zambians were living below the poverty line.
Nevertheless there had been very little debate about alternative economic policies in the campaign. Lungu is considered a populist who has spent a lot on infrastructure and services – significantly increasing the national debt.
He has now been forced to promise austerity measures in order to secure an IMF loan but Motsamai said he had not yet really delivered on these promises.
Hichilema, a successful businessman, has promised to cut public spending, including the civil service wage bill, if elected.
But Motsamai said, as usual, the election would be decided much more on personalities and ethnic/tribal affiliations than economic policies.
She noted that the PF had chosen last year to elect Lungu, an easterner, as its candidate, partly to broaden its appeal beyond its traditional power base among the northern Bemba people. But she said the PF was still very much a Bemba party.
Hichilema is a Tonga from the south and that is still where the UPND draws most of its support from.
Zambia Police stickers and billboard sensitising people not to resolve to violence motivated by politic sentiments. Courtesy of Jean Mandela
UPND Conclude ‘HH Will Fix It’ Campaign in Mtendere
From our campaign launch at Kitwe’s Freedom Park in May to Mtendere’s Mahatma Gandhi Grounds today we have heard the people call for change and call for peace on 11th August 2016.
We have shared our vision of a united, prosperous and equitable Zambia with the people, and explained how we will set about realising it through delivery of the UPND’s 10 Point Plan.
We have explained what this will mean for the people, from lower food prices to children in school and jobs for our youths. We will achieve this by cutting waste at State House and fighting corruption.
This is what we are offering the Zambian people, not negativity and divisive sentiments but ideas and solutions to move Zambia forward.
We wish to thank all our supporters who have resisted provocation and borne the frustrations and obstacles put in our way during the campaign period. We appeal to you to continue on this path and ensure that we all act peacefully and calmly as we go to the polls. We want change and we want peace but through the ballot not the bullet.
As you prepare to vote, remember that your vote is your choice. UPND has a plan to protect the vote but we must turnout in numbers on 11th August to ensure a first round victory.
President Lungu addresses the crowd at the final PF rally at Woodlands Stadium grounds
President Edgar Lungu has accused one of his biggest rival in tomorrow’s elections Hakainde Hichilema of running for office because of his love of money.
President Lungu said Mr Hichilema has lost a lot of his personal money since 2006 when he started standing as President.
He said Mr Hichilema and his running mate Geoffrey Mwamba are only interested in increasing their business empires once elected into office.
President Lungu was speaking at the PF final campaign rally held at Woodlands Stadium grounds in Chilenje township this afternoon.
“Other parties have kept one leader who keeps losing elections, each time he loses, he is brought back. This goes to show that this party does not have leaders. In the PF, we have a lot of potential. Some parties don’t have leading options, this is why since 2006, they featured the same blank player and he keeps losing,” President Lungu said.
He said the UPND does not have a replacement for Mr Hichilema hence they keep recycling him even after losing a number of elections.
“They don’t have tactics, strategy and alternative leadership. They keep making the same mistakes,” he said.
“He has lost his life time investments and he wants to make more money and recoup his investment.”
He declared that he is the best man for the job based on his impressive track record since assuming office.
President Lungu also stated that the PF is the best placed political party under his leadership to take Zambia forward.
He said his leadership has been tried and tested and that he has performed very well as President and deserves a second full five-year term.
President Lungu who was flanked by First Lady Esther said he has managed to follow in the vision of the party’s founding leader late Michael Sata.
And President Lungu’s running mate Inonge Wina urged has urged the electorate to vote for a leader who is committed to gender parity.
Mrs Wina said the PF under President Lungu has passed the Gender equality Bill to show that men and women can work together to develop the country.
She also called on Zambians to ensure that there is peace everywhere and ensure that Zambia continues to enjoy peace.
“I am glad to see some International Reporters, so that they can report the truth of what they see here because a lot of misinformation has passed and given to the international community, to the contrary, Zambia is enjoying peace. UPND is having a meeting now in Chawama and we are here also having our meeting. By evening, we will hear, you will experience violence at their meetings.”
Al Ahly coach Martin Jol believes their 2016 Egypt Cup final loss is not a setback ahead of Friday’s showdown against Zesco United in Suez.
The eight-time African champions buildup to their penultimate Group A clash in the 2016 CAF Champions League hit a pothole on Monday when they suffered 3-1 Cup final loss to archrivals Zamalek.
“The defeat by Zamalek will not have any negative impact when we play against Zesco United,” Jol told Egyptian media on Wednesday.
“I talked with my players and asked them to forget about the Cup defeat. Ahly is a big team with experienced players who should focus on every tournament and set aside any stumble.”
Al Ahly are seeking revenge against Zesco who beat them 3-2 in the first leg meeting in Ndola on June 18.
A debut away win in Egypt for Zesco will see them qualify to next months semifinals with a match to spare.
Zesco are currently second in Group A tied on seven points with Wydad Casablanca of Morocco.
Third placed Al Ahly have four points, level with bottom side ASEC Mimosa of Cote d’Ivoire.
Raphael Nakacinda
MMD National Secretary has assured MMD members across the country that the former ruling party will have MPs after the polls tomorrow despite not fielding candidates in all constituencies duo to the challenges that rocked the party in the run up to nomination of candidates.
Raphael Nakacinda who was wrapping up campaigns in Western Province said the strengthening of the former ruling party lies in having members of parliament across the country who will return the identity of the party.
Mr Nakacinda said MMD members should not despair as the party has moved on from the problems which led to the party’s failure to field in a presidential candidate as well as other positions and that most of the candidates that filed on the party ticket will emerge victorious and save the party from going into oblivion.
He explained that the party under the leadership of Felix Mutati has emerged stronger from the intera party squabbles and that members of the party across the country who left due to the infighting should return to the party after the elections and help rebuild the former ruling party.
“Our party will have members of parliament therefore members of the party should not despair. We had challenges running up to nomination of candidates but we managed to field a number of candidates for MP’s and local government and we are confident that most of these candidates will win tomorrow.
“I can assure you that after tomorrow the party will return its identity because we are going to have MPs and local government representation across the country and that is what we wanted as a party. We don’t want to be pretenders in the political dispensation of our country that is why we made sure that the people we picked are strong individuals with the capacity of wining seats,” he said.
FILE: Zambia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Harry Kalaba and USA Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Linda Thomas-Greenfield at UN Headquarters 26-09-2014. PHOTO | CHIBAULA D. SILWAMBA | ZAMBIA UN MISSION
By Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs
In so many ways, the United States and Zambia are in this together: together in the fight to bring peace to Africa; together in the effort to lift tens of millions of Africans out of poverty; together in the push to end the scourge of HIV/AIDS.
And we are also together in advancing democratic ideals in Africa, including the preservation of Zambia’s rich democratic history, which is among the most vibrant on the continent.
This year, yet again, the United States and Zambia will also display their similarities by heading to the polls to elect a president and other national and local officials within a few months of each other.
There have been misconceptions about what – or more pointedly, who – the U.S. government supports in the upcoming Zambian election. As Ambassador Schultz has said time and again: we support no political party or candidate, but rather, we support the Zambian people and the democratic process.
We support the Zambian people who fought to introduce the multiparty system in 1991, who pushed back against an extraconstitutional third presidential term in 2001, and who strived for a better constitution.
This year, as in every election, Zambia–like the United States and indeed all democracies–has a choice, not only whom to elect, but how to do it.
Our embassy listens to Zambians across the length and breadth of your beautiful and great country and from all walks of life. And they have made their positions clear.
They tell us they reject violence and they want their political leaders to tightly control their own parties’ actions, both in words and deeds. Violence begets violence, and it cannot be allowed to continue. Both the ruling party and the opposition must intensify efforts to do all they can – publicly and privately – to ensure their supporters advocate for them on their merits, not through the edge of a panga or the butt of a gun.
Zambians also tell us they want to hear what their candidates have to say. That means a focus both on the issues that affect their daily lives and on the many ways to spread those messages. A level media playing field – in which all opinions flourish – is vital to any democracy. Without a diversity of opinions in the press, citizens will not know and understand the whole story, they will not be able to hold their leaders accountable, and they will not be able to make informed decisions on how their country should be run.
Zambians also tell us that they want their votes to count – and to be counted correctly. The Electoral Commission has worked tirelessly to facilitate a free and fair vote, but still needs support from both the government and from opposition parties. Without support for credible institutions, free from political influence, the voice of the Zambian people might be lost or drowned out by a loud few.
So, what does the United States want in Zambia? The same thing Zambians want: An election where people can campaign and vote free from violence or fear; an election in which they can hear multiple opinions and make an informed choice; and an election in which their votes matter.
Like Americans and free people everywhere, Zambians have toiled for generations for the opportunity to vote their own conscience and have their voices heard. All of us who cherish democracy are in this together.
Zambians have turned out in large numbers to vote in the general elections, observers say is the closest contest in the country’s history.
