Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Lusaka (Agenzia Fides)- In a statement following the announcement that Zambia’s outgoing president Levy Mwanawasa had won the election on 28 September, (see Fides 3 October 2006) the leaders of the country’s three principal Christian Churches issued a statement calling on “political leaders and their supporters who maybe aggrieved by the results not to resort to violence but to remain calm and use peaceful means of redress”.
The statement, signed for the local Catholic Church by Rev Joseph Komakoma secretary general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Zambia, said “we are mindful that each election comes with issues that are contested by the political players” but this does not justify recourse to violence .
“Now that the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has announced the final results, we call upon all the political parties involved to accept them as they have come through...We further appeal to all those charged with the duty of handling electoral complaints and petitions to deal with these cases expeditiously so that justice is served and not delayed unnecessarily.”
“Finally, we call upon all Zambians to unite and rise above this most trying and divisive period. It is only through unity in a diversity of views that this nation will attain meaningful development and move towards the enhancement of our young democracy”.
After four days of slow vote counting the Electoral Commission announced that outgoing president Mwanawasa had won with 43% of the votes defeating Michael Sata with 30% and Haikande Hichilema with 25%. International observers said the vote was regular and transparent. However Sata accused the re-elected President of electoral fraud. And Sata’s supporters stage street protests which led to clashes with the police.
President Mwanawasa lost votes in the cities of the Copperbelt region and in the capital Lusaka, the two areas where Sata triumphed. Sata, charismatic former police office, campaigned the length and breadth of Zambia, focussing on degraded city outskirts where he was met by oceanic crowds attracted by his electoral promises: jobs and homes for all, strong government and fight against what he called “false investors”. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 4/10/2006 righe 38 parole 467)
