Zambia President Edgar Lungu Rejects Election Results Citing Violence

[KenyanList]

Zambian President Edgar Lungu has rejected the results of Thursday’s presidential and parliamentary election.

In a statement on Saturday, Lungu said the elections were "not free and fair" citing incidents of violence in Southern, North Western, and Western provinces.

He argued that the incidents rendered the whole election a nullity, adding that his Patriotic Front (PF) party was consulting on the next course of action.

Initial results released by the Electoral Commission of Zambia showed that President Lungu was trailing the opposition candidate Hakainde Hichilema.

From 31 out of the country‘s 156 constituencies, Hichilema of the United Party for National Development (UPND) was ahead with 449,699 votes against Lungu’s 266,202.

Lungu further claimed that PF polling agents were attacked and chased from polling stations, which left the ruling party's votes unprotected in the three provinces.

He cited the killing of PF North Western Province Chairman Jackson Kungo during voting and Samuel Chichii before the exercise as criminal acts that rendered the exercise not free and fair.

"Right now, some of our agents and supporters are hiding because of these criminal acts, how can the elections be free and fair when people have been murdered and many others are hiding after being brutalized? Is this democracy?" Lungu posed.

"With polling agents having been attacked and chased from polling stations, we are reduced to competing on seven provinces while our opponent was contesting in 10 provinces."