LUSAKA – Zambia president Edgar Lungu says the ongoing elections in his country should be declared “not free and fair” – but he doesn’t have that authority, it is a power given only to the Electoral Commission of Zambia by the constitution of that country.
Lungu says the killings of a chairman of his party- Patriotic Front – in the Northwestern province, Jackson Kungo during voting, and another victim Samuel Chihili shortly before voting are criminal acts that rendered the general election not free and fair.
He says elections in three provinces, the Southern province, North Western, and Western province were characterized by violence, rendering the whole exercise a nullity.
In a statement issued by his Special Assistant Isaac Chipampe, Lungu said his party, the Patriotic Front (PF) is consulting on the next course of action concerning the election, and as a candidate, this he can do.
When Lungu issued the statement the electoral commission had counted AMA announced 31 of 156 districts.
And opposition contender Hakainde Hichilema Hichilema (UPND) already had 61,4% of the votes while Lungu was trailing him with 36,4%.
Lungu and the PF say the violence reduced its contest to seven provinces while its opponent, UPND, was contesting in 10 provinces.
“PF polling agents were brutalized and chased from polling station, a situation that left the ruling party’s votes unprotected. Right now, some of our agents and supporters are hiding because of these criminal acts” Says Lungu’s statement
“How can the elections be fair when people have been murdered and many others are hiding after being brutalised. Is that democracy, we have written to the ECZ but they have continued announcing the result,” he said.
