'Zambia Should Uphold Human Rights When Going to The Polls'

On August 12, 2021, Zambians voted in general elections for a new president, 156 members of parliament, and 117 district council leaders. The Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC) has called on Zambian authorities and political parties to commit to respecting, protecting, promoting, and ensuring full respect for human rights before, during, and after elections.

"We are concerned with the recent military deployment by President Edgar Lungu to quell electoral violence ahead of elections. We urge the government to put in place all measures to ensure that violence linked to the electoral process is prevented, the harassment of opposition parties should not be tolerated and that the UN's basic principles on the use of force and firearms by law enforcement officials are adhered to," SALC said in a statement. The U.S. has also raised its concerns, threatening to impose sanctions on individuals compromising the holding of credible elections.

Tensions and deadly violence have battered the usually stable country in the lead-up to the polls, projected to be closely contested. The ruling Patriotic Front (PF) of incumbent, 64-year-old Edgar Lungu, and United Party for National Development (UPND), led by Haikande Hichilema, blame each other for the violence that has left an unspecified number of people dead.