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The Zambians chose their president on Thursday, between outgoing Edgar Lungu and his great rival Hakainde Hichilema, after a tense campaign centered on the economy of the first African country to default on its debt since the start of the pandemic.
Zambians went to the polls on Thursday August 12 for the presidential election. They had to choose between the outgoing head of state Edgar Lungu and his great rival Hakainde Hichilema. At dawn, hundreds of people formed impressive queues in front of the polling stations.
In the township of Matero, Andrew Daka, 20, who was voting for the first time, wants “change”: “we can not continue like this,” he told AFP. President Lungu visited a modest office in southern Lusaka. “Zambians are ready to vote and there are many of them,” he said as he left, cheered by supporters with fists in the air. “We will win !”.
At midday, Hichilema, nicknamed “HH” or the affectionate term “Bally”, a wealthy self-taught 59-year-old businessman who shows up for the sixth time and promises to turn the economy around, also took a bath. crowd going to vote. “We are confident (in the fact that) we will win the bet,” he assured in a sober suit and open collar. “People want that to change, it shows on their faces.” “What matters is that the decision of who becomes president, who leads this country, is determined by (…) the voters, not by the people who count the votes,” he added the eyebrow gathered. The day before, “HH” had called on the electoral commission to guarantee a “free and fair” ballot.
The opposition, which fears fraud, also accused the government of seeking to hamper Hakainde Hichilema’s campaign, which the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) vehemently denies. And while the government had threatened to block the internet if some “peddle false information that could destabilize” the election, Whatsapp and internet messages were slowed down or blocked in places in the afternoon, it was noted.
An economic crisis
The rising cost of living has eroded the incumbent president’s base of support, polls show, and the election could be tighter than in 2016, when “HH” lost just over 100,000 votes. Edgar Lungu, a lawyer by training, is criticized for having borrowed unreasonably, especially from Chinese creditors, to finance a frenzy of infrastructure projects.
Inflation climbed to over 20% under his presidency and at the end of 2020. Zambia was the first African country to be in default since the outbreak of the coronavirus. Sporadic violence erupted in the run-up to the vote between supporters of the two main candidates, prompting President Lungu to deploy the army. The opposition denounced the unprecedented measure, calling it a bullying tactic.
The head of state has been increasingly authoritarian in the face of any opposition since coming to power in 2015, raising fears of tensions in the event of contestation of the results, which should be known by Sunday evening, in the 72 hours after the polls close on Thursday (4 p.m. GMT).
The winner must get more than 50% of the vote to avoid a second round, which observers consider unlikely.
With AFP