LUSAKA, Zambia
Zambians will decide Thursday whether to re-elect President Edgar Lungu after the country's worst economic performance in decades and a crackdown on dissent that has raised fears of unrest in the southern African country.
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| Deployment of army and police in streets to intimidate voters are usual occurrence in most African elections termed as 'democratic' |
His main rival, in what
polls suggest is a close election race, is 59-year-old Hakainde Hichilema,
making his sixth run for the presidency.
Hichilema has already
narrowly lost to Lungu twice: in a 2015 by-election after the death of
ex-president Michael Sata and then in general polls the following year.
Lungu deployed the army
following clashes between the rival supporters in the run-up to presidential
and parliamentary polls, a move critics denounced as a tactic to intimidate
opposition voters.
Analysts say the result
of the closely fought election will set the tone for investment in the
copper-rich southern African nation, where more than half of its 17 million
people live in poverty.
Surveys suggest
economic hardship has eroded support for Lungu, accused of borrowing
unsustainably to finance flashy infrastructure projects, as living costs
soared.
In the capital Lusaka,
Lungu's green Patriotic Front (PF) party manifestos have dominated billboards
lining newly built freeways and overpass bridges. They trumpet
"achievements" in construction, agriculture and youth employment.
Opposition voters,
whose party colour is red, are keeping a low profile in Lusaka, traditionally a
PF stronghold.
Some of them even wear
green, the ruling party's colour, to avoid trouble -- known as the
"watermelon tactic".
"We do not feel
that safe...there is so much intimidation," said UPND supporter William
Njombo, a 42-year-old pastor volunteering at the party's headquarters.
Because of the Covid
pandemic, only door-to-door campaigning has been allowed this year rather than
mass gatherings, although politicians have rallied under the guise of
mask-distribution events.
Government critics say
the pandemic has been used to thwart the opposition.
Hichilema's team say
they have been barred from entering several parts of the country, including the
strategic central Copperbelt Province, their supporters dispersed with tear
gas.
There are also concerns
about a newly compiled electoral register, which some observers allege is
skewed towards PF strongholds, and a controversial cybersecurity law that could
be used to block the internet.
"The incumbent
regime will stop at nothing to manipulate the vote," UPND spokesman
Anthony Bwalya told AFP.
PF officials did not
respond to several requests for comment.
Amnesty International
warned in June that repression under Lungu had pushed Zambia to the brink of a
"human rights crisis".
They noted the closure
of independent media outlets, the jailing of opposition figures and the police
killings of at least five people since 2016.
Hichilema himself claims he has been arrested 15 times since he swapped his business career for politics.
"There is apprehension,"
said Zambian political analyst O'Brien Kaaba, unsure whether Lungu would
concede a defeat.
"The military on
the streets creates new dynamics," he added.
The US embassy in
Lusaka has urged the police and military to "apply the law equally and humanely"
in the "competitive election".
While pre-election
violence is not uncommon in Zambia, every transition of power has been peaceful
since the former British colony adopted multi-party democracy in 1990.
Both Hichilema and Lungu
are campaigning as "people's politicians" promising jobs and wealth
to disillusioned voters.
"Vote for change
and a better Zambia", says Hichilema's red-and-yellow manifesto, showing
him in a suit and matching red tie signalling the "way forward" with his
hand.
Over seven million people are registered to vote between 6:00 am (0400 GMT) and 6:00 pm, with the results expected by Sunday.
The results in Lusaka -- a city of more than 3.3 million inhabitants -- and the central Copperbelt province will be key to determining the winner.
"I pray that we will be able to keep peace," said Sydney Chilonga, a stylish 21-year-old in sunglasses who sells clothes to get by.
"I think it's going to be a tough moment for us."
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