Banda, a pro-business centrist, won 40.1 percent of the 1.79 million votes cast in Thursday’s election versus 38.1 percent for challenger Michael Sata, according to final results released by Zambia’s electoral commission.
A third candidate took the bulk of the remaining votes.
“I declare that Rupiah Bwezani Banda has been duly elected president of the Republic of Zambia,” Chief Justice Ernest Sakala said at a ceremony in Lusaka.
He verified all results provided by election officials.
Government officials told Reuters that Banda, who became acting president after the death of President Levy Mwanawasa in August, would be inaugurated later on Sunday.
Banda had trailed Sata, the leader of the Patriotic Front, in the counting until Saturday when a torrent of votes from rural government strongholds turned the tide in favour of the incumbent.
The late surge prompted Sata to accuse election officials of fraud. The Front said the poll was marked by discrepancies between vote tallies and the number of voters on registration lists. It said it would ask a court to order a recount.
Zambia is Africa’s largest copper producer and any political turmoil could unsettle foreign investors, particularly those in the mining sector.
Sata, a populist with strong support among workers and the poor, made the same charge two years ago when he lost the presidential election to Mwanawasa, whose death from a stroke led to last week’s election.
COUNTRY CALM
Zambia’s army had been placed on alert to quell potential violence in the wake of the election but the government said on Sunday that there had been no unrest. Zambia is one of the most politically stable nations in Africa.
“The country is clam and our security officers have done a tremendous job (to prevent) any trouble. We deployed police officers in areas where we anticipated (violence) and we don’t expect any trouble,” Home Affairs Minister Ronnie Shikapwasha told reporters.
Election officials said the count had proceeded slowly but defended their actions.
“The vast distances and poor terrain have created difficulties in delivery of election materials),” Florence Mumba, electoral commission chairwoman, said.
Independent election monitors have reported some irregularities but have stopped short of condemning the vote.
About 45 percent of the 3.9 million registered voters cast ballots in the election.
The winner faces the formidable task of matching Mwanawasa’s strong record of fiscal discipline, praised by Western donors and investors, and fighting corruption, two rare successes in Africa.
The vote was also seen as a test of Zambia’s commitment to multi-party democracy, restored in 1990 after 18 years of one-party rule under Kenneth Kaunda, but neither Banda nor Sata is expected to reshape the political landscape dramatically.
Banda appeared to benefit from Zambia’s relative prosperity as well as Mwanawasa’s popularity. He had pledged to maintain the government’s pro-business policies if elected. Sata also promised to grow the economy while fighting unemployment.
© Reuters 2008.
Post published in: Uncategorized