Zambian leader warns of possible electoral dispute by opposition

By James Kunda

LUSAKA, Zambia (AA) - Days ahead of a general election, Zambia's president told election observers in the country that he expects his likely victory to be disputed in the courts by opposition contenders.

Edgar Lungu said he voiced his concerns to the heads of the Commonwealth and African Union (AU) observer missions that the opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) might be unwilling to accept the results of Thursday's general election.

Speaking at the State House in the capital Lusaka, Lungu told the officials that he hoped the observer missions would monitor the trends around the country's elections impartially, without influencing their outcome

The AU observer mission is being led by former President of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma, while the Commonwealth mission is headed by ex-Tanzanian leader Jakaya Kikwete.

Lungu underlined that in any election, there is a winner and a loser, accusing the UPND, led by main rival businessman Hakainde Hichilema, of refusing to accept the results of elections they lost.

"For instance in 2016, the UPND complained about the unfair application of the Public Order Act. But, despite efforts by the government to call for the amendment of the act, the opposition political party still frustrated these efforts by walking out on parliamentary debates," he said.

Hichilema, however maintains that he has the popularity to win the elections and argues that any defeat would be due to sabotage on the results.

He was speaking from the city of Livingstone in southern Zambia, where he was touring to garner voter support.

Kikwete assured Lungu that the mission deployed a significant number of observers nationwide to give a credible report on the electoral environment.

Koroma said he believed in Zambia's democratic tenets which had seen the nation enjoy peace for close to six decades of independence.