Tinashe Sambiri|The MDC Alliance has commended Zambia’s State institutions for upholding the rule of law.
In a statement the MDC Alliance Namibia described Hakainde Hichilema’s resounding victory in the Presidential Election in Zambia as a huge inspiration.
See statement below:
Mdc Alliance Namibia congratulates Zambia’s State Institutions for safeguarding the will of the people and upholding the rule of law!
16 August 2021
Mdc Alliance Namibia would like to jovially celebrate Zambia as one of Africa’s most sophisticated and successful democracies in Southern Africa.
Social democrats gyrates together with the prominent social transformer and opposition political dynamo , Haikande Hichilema of the United National Democratic Party (UNDP) who has been declared the astounding winner of the tightly contested presidential election in debt-burned Zambia.
With 155 of 156 constituencies reporting official results reflected that Hichilema had astonishingly captured a landslide of 2.810.757 votes against 1.814.201 for former president Edgar Lungu.
We salute the professionalism exhibited by the Electoral Commission of Zambia through its absolute refusal to be manipulated to aid a potential loser when the order to stop counting was given.
Change seekers in Namibia also applauded the judiciary for defending the rule of law and constitutionalism through a court order to the repressive Lungu-led PF government.
Zambia showed clearly that their courts are independent from the executive unlike our captured courts which are keeping Malaba illegally so that he can defend them after losing 2023 elections at the hands of President Advocate Nelson Chamisa.
This is the sixth time Hichilema (president-elect) had run for the top job and the third time he has squared off with the 64-year-old incumbent Lungu, who just narrowly won their last contest in 2016. International election observers have commended the transparent and peaceful organisation of the polls, which saw a high and motivating turnout of around 70.9%. Mdc Alliance Namibia applauds the revolutionary appetite and enthusiasm in the fellow compatriots in Zambia whereas in the motherland elections are rendered insignificant in transforming people’s livelihoods, it has been proven otherwise.
But they also criticised an attempt to muzzle democratic space when security forces blockeduu freedom of assembly and movement. Mdc Alliance Namibia learns that Hichilema was obstructed from campaigning in several areas including the strategic Copperbelt Province ,citing breaches of Corona virus measures and a public order act. Lungu also deployed ,the military following pre-election clashes but the army behaved professionally since they did not beat or torture anyone. Welldone Zambian Army and Police for serving the people not the hybrid of dictators in our continent. As victims of Zanupf sponsored violence by security agents, we really appreciate the level of professionalism in the Zambian Army.
Social media access was restricted in the capital Lusaka just as Hichilema cast his vote and was restored on Saturday only after a court order. This was a futile attempt to subvert the will of the people by the politically inept Patriotic Front leader who wanted to abuse his powers to rig the people’s hardworn vote after 24 years of fighting corruption and gross misgovernance in Zambia. Lungu who came into power in 2015 after the death of Michael Sata, has deployed the military to curb politically motivated violence , a move that has been criticised by opposition as some of intimidation and terror to social democrats in Zambia. He wanted to apply the Mnangagwa antics but it did not work.
This election victory is a triumph for democracy in light with the growing authoritarian consolidation, we have seen it in countries like Zimbabwe and Swaziland. The United National Democratic Party (UNDP) is our sister party and we have exchanged political notes over the years to further the cause of Constitutional Democracy and Good Governance. Like in Zimbabwe, this election victory was facilitated by the declining economic prospects which have become a campaign issue for opposition,which accused Lungu of running down the economy. Zambia , Africa’s second-largest copper producer has faced crisis owing to depressed commodity prices and has defaulted on two instalments of loans.
Moreover, she has also dismally failed to pay a US$42.5 million repayment on one of its dollar-denominated Eurobonds. Zambia has also failed to pay a US$56.1 million coupon payment on January 30, on its Eurobonds maturing in 2027. Lusaka has since received some debt relief from China and is so negotiating with the international monetary fund for a bail out. Mdc Alliance Namibia has the conviction that President-elect Haikande Hichilema-who has an an economics degree and has promised to rebuild investor confidence – committed and dedicated to confront an economy wracked by unprecedented debt,inflation and pathetic unemployment rate.
In a nutshell, we appeal to all countries in the region especially Zimbabwe to learn from the Zambian experience. In particular, we call for state institutions to serve the constitution and not partisan interests. Mdc Alliance Namibia believes that the 59 year old opposition leader and President-elect Haikande Hichilema has the full potential to put the economy on a sounder footing.
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Mdc Alliance Namibia
Rundu Branch Spokesperson
Robson Ruhanya
