Lungu Tells Botswana President Zambia Will Hold Free And Fair Elections

President Lungu has assured Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi that Zambia will hold free and fair elections on August 12. 

Speaking to his Botswanan counterpart during an official visit at State House, President Lungu also told Mr Masisi that he would champion collaboration between their two countries.

“We will continue to enhance our bilateral relations as they are key to social and economic development,” said President Lungu.

His comments on a free and fair vote come amidst mounting anxieties over the legitimacy of Zambia’s elections in August. Last week, opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema wrote to the the SADC, of which President Masisi is the security chair, as well as the African Union to express concerns over the legitimacy of Zambia’s voters roll.

HH highlighted that the voters roll is some 2 million voters short of the Electoral Commission of Zambia’s (ECZ) target to register 9 million Zambians. He also pointed out that the number of registered voters has substantially increased in provinces which have historically voted for the Patriotic Front (PF), while the figure has actually decreased in opposition strongholds.

These worries were first brought to light by University of Zambia lecturer Sishuwa Sishuwa, who subsequently labelled Zambia’s upcoming election “a scam”.

Several civil society organisations have since joined Dr Sishuwa in calling for an independent audit of the voters roll. 

Back at State House, President Lungu and President Masisi also discussed a number of urgent challenges faced by Southern African countries at the moment, including the deteriorating security situation in Mozambique; the elimination of migratory red locusts and the Covid-19 pandemic.

President Lungu said he was proud of the collaboration between Zambia and Botswana in combatting the pandemic and said that he would be first in the queue to receive a vaccine against the disease once rollout begins. 

This comes despite government advising that only 20% of Zambian adults - a mere 1.68 million people - will be vaccinated against the disease. This is down from an earlier promise that all Zambians over the age of 18 will be vaccinated. 

President Lungu’s administration has come under heavy fire in recent weeks for its slow approach to the vaccine rollout. Zambia remains one of the last countries in Africa to begin its vaccination campaign and only joined the UN’s vaccine sharing programme COVAX last week.