Last year, the copper-rich southern African nation became the first country on the continent to default on its debt in the coronavirus era.Government owned Tanzania daily. Hichilema's prime task on taking office will be to tackle an economy wracked by high debt, inflation and unemployment. It's a different African story," Ringisai Chikohomero, researcher at the Pretoria-based Institute for Security Studies, told AFP. "Zambians have lived up to be true democrats. Every transition of power has been peaceful since the former British colony adopted its multi-party system in 1990. Observers viewed the election as a referendum on Lungu's rule, which saw plummeting living standards and deepening repression in the country of more than 17 million.ĭespite occasional episodes of political violence, Zambia has earned a reputation for stability. The United States congratulated Hichilema, with a State Department statement hailing the election as "a tribute to the democratic ideals upon which the country was founded and an inspiration for the democratic aspirations of people around the world."īotswana's President Mokgweetsi Masisi said the vote offered "vital lessons for the region and the African continent at large." Social media access was restricted in the capital Lusaka just as Hichilema cast his vote but was restored on Saturday following a court order. Lungu deployed the military following pre-election clashes and reinforced the army presence in three provinces after two deaths were reported on election day. Security forces blocked Hichilema from campaigning in several areas, including the strategic Copperbelt Province, citing breaches of coronavirus measures and a public order act. International election observers have commended the polls' transparent and peaceful organisation, with a turnout of around 70.9 percent - a huge jump from the 57.7 percent recorded in the 2016 polls.īut they also criticised restrictions on freedom of assembly and movement during campaigning. On Saturday, as ballots were being counted, Lungu cried foul, but his objections gained little traction. "My vote helped swing it," he told AFP with a wide smile and twinkling eyes. The celebrations continued into the morning.Īt a hotel breakfast room early Monday, a waiter had swapped his usual dark tie for a bright red one. Thousands of supporters flocked onto the streets of Lusaka, erupting into song and dance, cheering and waving party flags. It was Hichilema's sixth bid for the top job and his third challenge to his bitter rival Lungu, 64, after losing to Lungu by a wafer-thin 100,000-vote margin in 2016. He added: "Once we restore the rule of law, we will see more economic investment." Recalling that he had been arrested 15 times, Hichilema said: "We are not going into office to arrest those who arrested us." "It is with great honour, humility, gratitude that I stand before you today to say change is here," Hichilema said. Hundreds of supporters had gathered on the dirt road leading up to Hichilema's sumptuous residence in a leafy suburb of Lusaka, and they shouted "Bally, Bally" (slang for "father") as he began to speak. Wiping away tears, Hichilema said his victory was the "historic moment millions of Zambians have been waiting for." Defiled girl’s relative demand for justice By MARTIN MASHEKWA RELATIVES of a 14-year-old girl who is battling for her life in Request Muntanga Hospital in Kalomo after being defiled by a known person. rule of law, restoring order, respecting human rights, liberties and freedoms." Defiled girl’s relative demand for justice. Hichilema, 59, pledged: "We will foster a better democracy. The electoral commission proclaimed Hichilema president-elect in the early hours of Monday, bringing the curtain down on Lungu's nearly six-year reign. I will forever cherish and appreciate the authority you invested in me." In a nationally televised address, Lungu thanked Zambians for "a great opportunity to be your president. The event rendered the misguided and divisive. Hichilema for becoming the seventh republican president." CHARLES CHISALA, Lusaka WHILE some politicians were busy spewing poisonous xenophobic rhetoric recently directed at citizens of a foreign country working or doing business in Zambia something opposite was happening in Lusaka. Lungu conceded defeat, saying he congratulated "my brother. "I will be a president of all Zambians, of those that voted for me and of those that did not," he pledged.Īfter a campaign dominated by the country's economic woes and marred by sporadic violence, Hichilema garnered 2,810,757 votes against 1,814,201 for the incumbent Lungu in Thursday's election, according to nearly final results. Speaking shortly after his predecessor Edgar Lungu conceded defeat, the business tycoon and veteran opposition leader said his camp had been victims of a "brutal regime that is exiting".