The credibility of the Presidential elections in Zambia has been tainted by the ongoing violence and intimidation in the current political campaigns threatening the reputation of one of Africa’s most stable democracies reports Bloomberg.
Zambian authorities have had to cancelled opposition rallies and shut down the Independent Post newspaper which is a very vocal about government shortcomings. Bill boards and posters have been vandalized and torn apart.
The Electoral Commission of Zambia has noted “with dismay the incidents of violence that has characterized the campaign period,” Chairman Essau Chulu said in a speech in Lusaka on Tuesday. “I implore all political players to remain calm.”
President Edgar Lungu, 59, warned last month that “draconian measures” may be necessary to stem the violence.
Lungu and eight others are vying for the Presidential seat in Africa’s second biggest copper producer in the election set for August 11th.
“The upcoming election will present a stern test of Zambia’s democratic credentials,” Ronak Gopaldas, head of country risk at FirstRand Ltd.’s Rand Merchant Bank, said in an interview in Lusaka, the capital. “The country has a history of free-and-fair elections and peaceful handovers of power, but recent incidents have raised eyebrows about whether the polls will be credible. There’s been a marked increase in political tensions in recent months.”
Popular opposition candidate Hakainde Hichilema accused Lungu and the ruling party of trying to steal the election because they knew they would lose.
“Zambia is a peaceful nation,” Lungu said in a statement on Tuesday. “I will not tolerate any person attempting to break the peace we have.”
Zambia has experienced several peaceful transitions of power since gaining independence from the U.K. in 1964 reports Bloomberg
