By A Correspondent | As ZimEye follows Zambia’s election results today, the incumbent Edgar Lungu rushed to sound out a triumphant win a day before promising to sail the nation to great heights.

He said this after deploying soldiers on the streets a week before.

On 30 July, two PF supporters were found hacked to death in Kanyama constituency in Lusaka, the African-Arguments publication reports. In response, President Lungu ordered in the army to help the police maintain law and order. The next day, the Electoral Commission banned the UPND from engaging in campaign activities in Kanyama.

Opposition parties and other groups condemned the deployment of the military as unwarranted. They have raised the fact that Zambia’s military has a record of harassing and intimidating members of the public when called upon to maintain law and order.

Many are also questioning the true motivations for the move. Some suggest that the military may have been drafted in as the police cannot be trusted to apply to law in a fair and unbiased manner. Others believe the army has been mobilised in anticipation of violence in the event of a disputed result, though exactly how the military would respond to widespread popular protests is difficult to predict.

Some ruling party sympathisers have been agitating for the disqualification of the UPND from participating in the Kanyama election altogether and there are rumours one presidential candidate may withdraw from the race, thus causing the postponement of the election. Either of these actions, if carried out will adversely affect the campaign environment and may lead to unrest.

Indeed, there are many unknowns in how the results could unfold and how Zambians might respond. If President Lungu and the PF win convincingly, it is possible that there may not be any serious protests. However, if the results are close and one side disputes them – whether in the first round or after what would be Zambia’s first ever second-round run-off – there may well be unrest and protests that could turn violent. At this point, matters would become even more unpredictable.

Meanwhile,Lungu’s full statement is below:

My fellow citizens,
In a few hours, our country holds its general elections. It is a time to choose not only our leaders, but more importantly decide the destiny of our country.
I would like to thank you the citizens who have shown your support for me and my party, the Patriotic Front.
Many thanks to members of our party – the youths, women and men – who have worked tirelessly to put wind in the sails of our boat.

Now we can sail to our promised land and take our great nation to greater heights, building on the strong foundation we have laid.

The future of our country is brighter than when we first formed government in 2011.

Tomorrow, as you cast your vote, judge us by what we promised, against what we have delivered.

I’m also thankful to God for His grace to govern this great nation; I never took the responsibility lightly, and I always depended on Him for strength.

And now on this eve of our elections, I want to make final call for peace. Let us maintain the peace that we have enjoyed for decades.

Tomorrow come out in large numbers and vote; and vote for continuity.

Our victory is certain.