Zambia Elections: "Violence Rendered The Whole Exercise A Nullity" - President Lungu

The incumbent president of Zambia, Edgar Chagwa Lungu has said the general election held in that country on the 12th of August should be nullified on grounds that it was not free and fair.

Lungu accuses the opposition of violence which saw some polling agents being chased away. We present the statement issued by his assistant Isaac Chipampe.

PRESIDENT LUNGE DECLARES GENERAL ELECTION NOT FREE AND FAIR

LUSAKA, (Saturday 14th August 2021)—His Excellency Dr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, President of the Republic of Zambia has said his party, the Patriotic Front, is consulting on the next course of action concerning the general election held on Thursday, 12th August 2021.

President Lungu says the general election in three provinces, namely, Southern Province. North Western Province, and Western Province, were characterised by violence, rendering the whole exercise a nullity.

The President said Patriotic Front polling agents were brutalised and chased from polling stations, a situation that left the ruling party’s votes unprotected in the three provinces. The President also cites the killing of Patriotic Front North Western Province Chairman Jackson Kungo, during voting, and Mr Samuel Chihili, shortly before the voting, as criminal acts that rendered the general election not free and fair.

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“Right now, some of our agents and supporters are in hiding because of these criminal acts. How can the elections be fair when people have been murdered and many others are in hiding after being brutalised. Is that democracy? We have written to the Electoral Commission of Zambia but they have continued announcing the results. So, we are consulting on the next decision we have to make,” the President said, and added, “with polling agents having been attacked and chased from polling stations, we were reduced to competing in seven provinces while our opponent was contesting in 10 provinces.”

ISSUED BY:
Isaac Chipampe

SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT

(Press and Public Relations)

STATE HOUSE

This comes as opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema has taken an early lead with the latest reports suggesting that out of the announced 31 Constituencies he has 449 699 votes while president Lungu has 266 202.

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