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Zambian opposition leader and presidential aspirant Brian Mundubile has expressed concerns over the credibility of the Southern African country’s ongoing elections.
Voting began at 6 am on Thursday in the country of about 22 million people.
The election is expected to favour incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema, whose first five-year term is drawing to a close as he seeks re-election.
Mundubile, leader of the NRPUP and a rival to Hichilema, told AFP in an interview that the election would not be free and fair.
“An election is a process and not an event. The process that we have undergone so far can only point to one thing and one thing only: the election will not be free and fair,” he said.
Mundubile, an accountant and lawyer, served as a minister under the Patriotic Front (PF), which was voted out of power in 2021.
The presidential aspirant, who joined the race in May, has had little time to build his profile or sell voters on a party with limited name recognition.
“We have not been able to campaign freely. We were denied permits to fly when our opponent had three helicopters and could have six rallies a day,” he said.
In March, the 55-year-old was detained at the country’s main airport and charged over alleged hate speech before being released on police bond.
“I have not had my passport for the past four months, my phones were confiscated,” he said.
Presidential candidates are allocated five days in each of Zambia’s 10 provinces and are scheduled to visit every province once during the campaign.
According to the Police and the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), the arrangement is intended to prevent clashes between rival campaign rallies.
“We’ve had police interference at every stage. We’ve had violence from the UPND and yet ECZ has not been able to act and suspend the campaigns of the UPND,” Mundubile said.
However, the commission banned his rallies in northern Zambia for a month after a clash between rival supporters left one person dead.
Hichilema’s government has steered Zambia through a landmark debt restructuring, restored macroeconomic stability and returned the economy to growth after the country defaulted on its sovereign debt.
Many Zambians, however, say the cost of living has not noticeably improved despite the positive economic indicators.
According to the World Bank, unemployment stands at nearly 10 percent, while more than 70 percent of the population lives on less than $3 a day.
“The president focused on private capital and foreign interests. We are focused on Zambia,” Mundubile said.
“We would like to protect interests of foreigners and investors as it were. But it should be a win-win situation.”
About 8.7 million people are registered to vote in Thursday’s election, which will test Zambia’s reputation for political stability and peaceful transfers of power.
Voters will also elect members of an expanded parliament and local government councillors.
