Zambia’s opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema was on Monday declared president-elect, beating incumbent Edgar Lungu.
The electoral commission said the United Party for National Development (UPND) leader garnered 2,810,777 votes against Lungu’s 1,814,201, with 155 out of the 156 constituencies counted.
While announcing the winner of the August 12th election, Zambia’s electoral commission chairperson Esau Chulu said the results from the remaining constituency would not mathematically influence the outcome.
This was Hichilema’s sixth attempt at the presidency under the UPND since it was formed in 1998. He narrowly lost to Lungu in the 2015 presidential election.
The 59-year-old is the first southerner to win the presidency, which has been dominated by the north.
He becomes Zambia’s seventh president since the country gained independence from Britain in 1964. This is also the third time that power has shifted peacefully from a ruling party to the opposition in the Southern Africa nation.
In a radio address on Monday, outgoing President Lungu, 64, conceded defeat and congratulated Hichilema.
Lungu, who came to power in 2015, promised to comply with the “constitutional provision for a peaceful transition of power.”
“I want to thank you Zambian people for giving me a great opportunity to be your president. I will forever cherish and appreciate the authority you invested in me. All I wanted to do was to serve my country to the best of my abilities,” he said.
Lungu had earlier rejected the outcome of the election citing violence in three provinces.
will +254 got his way
will +254 got his way
He needs to reclaim Zambia…
He needs to reclaim Zambia back from Chinese.
Haikosi Ndugu yetu Hakienda…
Haikosi Ndugu yetu Hakienda Chilema rais mpya wa nchi ya Zambia anajua methali moja muhimu ya Kiswahili inayosema, “Usikate tamaa.”
Si yeye peke yake tu, Ndugu Joe Biden (rais wa Marekani sasa) alijaribu mara mbili halafu akashindwa. Kwa bahati nzuri, Ndugu Barack Obama alimteua kuwa makamu wake wa rais wakati wa uchaguzi wa 2008. Ndugu Obama alipochaguliwa, ndugu yetu Joe akawa makamu wake wa rais kwa muda wa miaka minane.
Mwaka uliopta, Ndugu Joe alijaribu mara nyingine kuwa rais wa Marekani akiwa na umri wa miaka 78 halafu akafaulu.
Kutokana na mfano wa Ndugu Hakienda na Joe, inaonekana wazi ya kwamba, Ndugu yetu Raila Juma Odinga atachaguliwa kuwa rais wa Kenya 2022. Nimetumia jina “Juma” kwa sababu ni jina la mamake ambaye alimzaa na kumpa uhai alio nao sasa.
Kwenye vitambulisho vyangu, mimi hutumia majina matatu. Jina la kwanza ni jina langu la kwanza ambalo ni jina la asili ya watu wangu. Jina la pili, ni jina la kwanza la mamangu aliyenipa uhai nilio nao sasa. Jina la tatu, ni jina la kwanza na babangu mzazi. Nimeshayatupilia mbali majina yanayotokana na utumwa na pia ukoloni. Kusema kweli, huwezi kusema ya kwamba wewe ni mtu huru ikiwa mpaka sasa bado una jina linalotokana na utumwa au ukoloni, unatumia lugha ya kikoloni nyumbani mwako pamoja na familia yako, umeshapigwa msasa na kuamini miungu bandia ya kigeni, au umeshaiga (imitate) mila karibu zote zinazotokana na utumwa au ukoloni.
Hongera sana ndugu Hakienda Chilema kwa kutokata tamaa na mwishowe kuchaguliwa rais wa nchi ya Zambia. Nakuomba wewe pamoja na Ndugu Mnangagwa (rais) wa nchi ya Zimbabwe mfanye kazi pamoja na kwanza mbadilishe jina la maanguko makubwa ya maji na kutumia jina la asili – siyo “victoria Falls.”