Zambia election unlikely to be 'free and fair', opposition chief tells AFP

Zambia's opposition leader accused the government of tightening restrictions on his party's campaign, telling AFP on Wednesday that this week's election was on course to be neither free nor fair.

The mineral-rich southern African nation of 22 million people heads to the polls Thursday in a general election widely expected to hand incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema a second term.

"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," Brian Mundubile, leader of the NRPUP party, told AFP in an interview.

An accountant and lawyer by profession, Mundubile served as a minister under the Patriotic Front (PF) party that was voted out of power in 2021.

He entered the presidential race in May backed by a newly formed opposition alliance, adding a measure of uncertainty to a contest once seen as a foregone conclusion for Hichilema's UPND.

But he has had little time to build a profile or sell voters on a party with scant 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 in connection with alleged hate speech before being released on police bond.

"I have not had my passport for the past four months, my phones were confiscated."

Presidential candidates are allocated five days in all of Zambia's 10 provinces, with each scheduled to visit every province once during the campaign.

Police and the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) say 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.

The election sees an African economic success story being pitched to an electorate still waiting to feel the benefits of the turnaround.

Hichilema's government has steered Zambia through a landmark debt restructuring, restored macroeconomic stability and returned the economy to growth after a sovereign default.

But those gains have yet to be translated into broad prosperity for many Zambians, with unemployment at nearly 10 percent and more than 70 percent of the population living on less than three dollars a day, according to World Bank data.

"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." 

With Mundubile carrying the baggage of Zambia's former ruling party, critics say his victory would amount to a return of the PF.

His new NRPUP draws on much of the political base of the PF, which held power between 2011 and 2021.

Mundubile did not shy away from the PF legacy, marred by cadre politics and runaway corruption.

"PF was voted out of power, not because they failed to perform in all their spheres," he said, pointing to the roads, airports and other infrastructure built during the party's time in government.

"PF made mistakes. We learned from there. We have avoided those mistakes."

About 8.7 million people are registered to vote in Thursday's election, which will test the country's reputation for political stability and peaceful transfers of power.

Voters will also pick an expanded parliament and local government councillors.