In the bitterly disputed presidential election in Zambia, business magnate and veteran opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema won a landslide.
After a campaign dominated by the country’s economic misery and marked by sporadic violence, Hichilema received 2,810,757 votes against 1,814,201 President Edgar Lungu, according to near-final results.
Lungu acknowledged the defeat and said he congratulated “my brother … Hichilema on becoming the seventh Republican president.”
In a national television address, he added: “I want to thank you, the Zambian people, for giving me a great opportunity to be your president. I will forever cherish and appreciate the authority you invested in me.”
The Electoral Commission declared Hichilema president-elect in the early hours of Monday, drawing the curtain on Lungu’s nearly six-year rule.
When his victory became clear, Hichilema demanded peace on Sunday.
“Let us be the change we voted for and embrace the spirit of Ubuntu (humanity) to love and live together harmoniously,” he tweeted.
It was the 59-year-old’s sixth bid for the top job and his third challenge to his bitter rival Lungu, 64.
After losing to Lungu by a thin 100,000 voting margins in 2016, Hichilema won Thursday’s vote by almost one million votes.
‘He’s finally done it!’
Thousands of Hichilema supporters flocked to the streets of Lusaka and ran out singing and dancing, cheering and waving party flags.
The celebration continued at dawn as hundreds of people gathered outside Hichilema’s house in a leafy suburb of the capital.
“I’m so excited, he’s finally done it! Tonight we celebrate Bally’s victory,” said 21-year-old Rosemary Malunga, referring to Hichilema with her nickname, which is slang for “dad.”
Hundreds also marched to the entrance to the presidential residence, where soldiers and police were on guard.
On Saturday, when the votes were counted, Lungu claimed that the vote was neither free nor fair, but his objections gained some traction.
International election observers have praised the polls’ transparent and peaceful organization, which had a turnout of around 70.9% – a big jump from the 57.7% published in the 2016 polls.
But they also criticized restrictions on freedom of assembly and movement during campaigns.
Security forces blocked Hichilema from acting in several areas, including the strategic Copperbelt province, citing violations of coronavirus measures and public order.
Lungu deployed the military after clashes before the election and strengthened the army’s presence in three provinces after two deaths were reported on election day.
Access to social media was limited in the capital Lusaka just as Hichilema cast his vote but was restored on Saturday following a court decision.
Democratic upswing?
Observers saw the election as a referendum on Lungu’s government, which saw a raging standard of living and deepened repression in the country by more than 17 million.
Hichilema was supported by ten opposition parties, which threw its weight behind his United Party for National Development (UPND).
Law and local elections were held alongside the presidential election on Thursday.
Former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga congratulated Hichilema on a “decisive victory”.
“In the midst of an unprecedented public health challenge, the Zambian people have made Africa proud to have conducted a successful election,” Odinga tweeted.
The election, he hoped, strengthens Zambia’s democracy “and reminds other Africans elsewhere that nothing is impossible.”
Despite occasional episodes of political violence, Zambia has gained a reputation for stability. Every transfer of power has been peaceful since the former British colony adopted its multi-party system in 1990.
“Zambians have lived up to being true democrats. It’s a different African story,” Ringisai Chikohomero, a researcher at the Pretoria-based Institute for Security Studies, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Hichilema’s main task after accession will be to address an economy struggling with high debt, inflation and unemployment.
Last year, the copper-rich South African nation became the first country on the continent not to pay its debts under the coronavirus.
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