By Chris Mfula
LUSAKA, Aug 19 (Reuters) – Zambian opposition leader Brian Mundubile said on Wednesday that he would challenge the results of the August 13 presidential election in court, alleging vote fraud in the contest that handed President Hakainde Hichilema a second term in office.
“Our campaign has documented serious irregularities, inconsistencies and circumstances surrounding the conduct, counting, transmission and declaration of results,” Mundubile said in a statement.
A spokesperson for Hichilema declined immediate comment. The Electoral Commission of Zambia could not immediately be reached for comment.
The commission declared Hichilema the winner on Tuesday with about 60% of votes, compared with 38% for Mundubile in the mineral-rich southern African nation.
EU MISSION FLAGS TRANSPARENCY CONCERNS
A European Union election observer mission raised some concerns about transparency, saying that many polling centre staff had failed to record the results on the tally sheet as soon as they were announced, as regulations require.
“Observers reported extended breaks during the results tabulation process in almost half of observations, as the returning officers seemed to wait and receive instructions from… headquarters before announcing results,” the mission said in a statement.
The electoral commission suspended vote-counting for hours on Friday due to reports of violence against polling staff and the theft of ballot papers.
The EU mission said the situation had then deteriorated further, with a heavy military presence resulting in a lower number of observers at sites where the ballots were gathered and counted.
UN CONDEMNS OPPOSITION ARRESTS
After a relatively quiet run-up to the August 13 election, tensions escalated rapidly once the polls had closed.
The authorities arrested 11 people including leading opposition figures in a raid that involved an exchange of gunfire, while Mundubile was present.
Mundubile issued his latest statement from an undisclosed location. He said earlier that he was under protection due to threats.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said he was concerned by reports of arrests and detentions of opposition members.
“I urge the authorities to stop arresting people arbitrarily and to uphold fully the due process rights of all those detained,” he said in a statement.
(Additional reporting by Nellie Peyton;Writing by Nilutpal Timsina and Anathi Madubela;Editing by Alexander Winning and Gareth Jones)
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