Military beefing up, social media restrictions as Zambia votes in hard-fought polls

President Edgar Lungu has deployed more troops to parts of the country to quell election violence after Zambians gathered to vote Thursday in hotly contested polls pitting him against longtime rival Hakainde Hichilema as the internet saw partial restrictions.

After 12 hours of voting, the polling stations began to close at 6:00 p.m. (4:00 p.m. GMT), although several hundred still in line were allowed to vote.

The presidential election is seen as a test of the country’s democratic credentials after a campaign dominated by economic hardship and the deployment of troops following clashes between Lungu and Hichilema supporters ahead of the election.

Lungu said on Thursday that election day violence killed two people, including the chairman of his party in North West Province.

In a statement, he said he ordered the army commander “to rapidly strengthen security in the northwest, parts of the western and southern provinces where the unprecedented violence is taking place.”

Fears of fraud

“I will not kindly accept these evil plans,” he vowed. “How can you talk about free and fair elections when our adversaries have taken this election as a war? he said.

Zambia. By (AFP)

The deployment of troops was only a “distraction,” Anthony Bwalya, spokesperson for the opposition United Party for National Development, told AFP.

Sixteen candidates were vying for the top job, but the favorites are 64-year-old Lungu and business mogul Hichilema, who are facing the ballot box for the third time and who between them collected nearly 98 % of votes in the 2016 ballot. election.

This is Hichilema’a sixth attempt at the presidency.

“We are convinced that we will win,” he said after voting at a secondary school in a leafy suburb of Lusaka. “People want change – you can see it on their faces,” he told reporters.

Responding to opposition fears of fraud, Hichilema said Zambia’s next ruler “must be determined by (…) the voters, not by the people who count the votes.”

But in the afternoon, the internet was partially closed in the capital Lusaka.

“Social networks and messaging platforms including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Messenger are now restricted,” said the NetBlocks Global Observatory.

Student Edward Musayani, 26, who had been queuing for four hours to vote in Chawama Township, said he checked his phone in the early afternoon and found that WhatsApp and Facebook had been turned off.

“We win”

“It’s quite unfortunate in a democratic regime like ours. People should have access to information to make informed decisions,” he said.

“You silence the voices of the people and that will have an impact on the way people perceive the elections,” he said.

About seven million citizens are registered to vote for a president, lawmakers and local government officials. By MARCO LONGARI (AFP)

The government threatened to cut Internet access if people spread “lies that could destabilize” the election.

After voting earlier, Lungu exuded confidence that he would retain the post he had held for six years in the copper-rich southern African country.

“We are winning … I wouldn’t have been in the race if we hadn’t won,” Lungu said after voting in Chawama, a working-class suburb.

The vote “is a test of democracy in Zambia, it is ultimately a test of fairness and freedom (the vote takes place),” said political economist Trevor Simumba, adding that “the real test will be in the “counting process”.

Tensions erupted in the run-up to elections in the southern African country of 17 million people. By Patrick Meinhardt (AFP)

A slowing economy and rising cost of living have eroded Lungu’s support base in recent years, surveys suggest.

Lungu is accused of having borrowed unsustainably, especially from Chinese creditors, to finance a series of infrastructure projects.

Under his administration, Zambia became the first African country to default on its sovereign debt since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, as inflation soared to more than 20%.

Winding lines of hundreds of people formed before dawn outside polling stations throughout the day, indicating high turnout.

Lungu’s critics point to poverty and unemployment amid scintillating infrastructure.

About seven million citizens were eligible to vote for a president, lawmakers, and local government officials.

The winning candidate must acquire more than 50 percent of the vote to avoid a second round.

The official results were expected on Sunday.