An opposition leader in Zambia Mr. Hakainde Hichilema, has been declared the winner of last week’s keenly-contested presidential election, after he defeated the incumbent, President Edgar Lungu, by more than one million votes.
With 155 of 156 constituencies reporting, official results showed that Hichilema had garnered 2,810,757 votes against Lungu’s 1,814,201.
‘I, therefore, declare Hakainde Hichilema President-elect of the Republic of Zambia,‘ electoral commission chairman, Justice Esau Chulu, said in a televised address which was monitored by Africa Daily News, New York.
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The 59-year-old opposition politician gave his long-time rival, Lungu, a bloody nose amid deteriorating standards of living.
He contested the top job six times; three against 64-year-old Lungu. In 2016, he narrowly lost to Lungu by about 100,000 votes.
Lungu, who has been in office for six years, faced the electorate amid growing resentment about rising living costs and crackdowns on dissent in the southern African country.
Hichilema enjoyed the backing of 10 opposition parties at last Thursday’s vote under the banner of the largest opposition United Party for National Development (UPND).
The incumbent had begun crying foul before a winner was declared, claiming the election was neither free nor fair due to violence reported in what are traditionally Hichilema’s stronghold.
In a statement, the President’s office alleged that his party’s polling agents were attacked and chased away from voting stations.
On Sunday, the President-elect, popularly known by his initials ‘HH’ or Bally (slang for dad), called for peace.
‘With victory in sight, I’d like to ask for calm from our members and supporters. We voted for a better Zambia that’s free from violence and discrimination. Let us be the change we voted for and embrace the spirit of ubuntu (humanity) to love and live together harmoniously.
‘We discussed a wide range of issues bordering on the welfare of our people. We remain committed to ensuring a united and prosperous Zambia for all,‘ he wrote on Twitter.
Parties that backed Hichilema on Sunday scoffed at Lungu’s ‘unsubstantiated’ claims of a marred vote and urged him to concede.
AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK
