Governance

Peaceful elections cementing Zambia’s democracy

By DOREEN NAWA WITH the September 20 elections passing as one of the most peaceful transitions of power in Zambia’s political history, every fear of post-election violence should now be duly consigned to the dustbins of history. Zambians last month allowed history to repeat itself by ensuring the country’s fifth general election, since the 1991 return of multi-party politics, passed without major incidents. Even though there were some pockets of violence following the slow transmission of the elections results, it is still nothing compared to the large-scale violence that was initially projected to rock the country. Several international and local poll observers have since hailed the recent elections as having been free and fair. According to Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN), the recent elections were held in a peaceful and conducive environment, with all security forces and political parties respecting the will of the Zambian people. ZESN deployed a 15-member delegation covering all the nine provinces of Zambia. “The country’s 2011 general elections have been held in a peaceful and conducive environment because of the way the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), Government and all security wings have managed it,” the ZESN said in its report. “Despite a few violent acts in Lilanda, Kanyama and Nakatindi Hall owing to the delay in delivering of voting materials, the rest were peaceful.” The peaceful nature of the recent elections reinforced yet again the country’s ever blossoming democracy. Zambia has never had a life-threatening authority transition since the 1991 return of multiparty democracy. In 2001, late second republican President Frederick Chiluba peacefully handed over power to his successor, Levy Mwanawasa, whom he had handpicked to contest the general election on the former ruling party’s ticket, following the expiry of Dr Chiluba’s second and final five-year term. And after the 2008 death of Dr Mwanawasa in office, former President Rupiah Banda peacefully ascended to power after winning the presidential by-election. Mr Banda would later become Zambia’s shortest-serving republican President, having been in office only for less than three years before last month’s elections, which he lost to President Michael Sata. Ahead of the September 20 tripartite election, many people and even international organisations, predicted large-scale violence because of what they perceived to be a brewing conflict between the people’s desire to change government and the ruling party’s determination to hold on to power. As months turned to weeks and eventually days and hours before the opening of polling stations, ordinary people across the country started panicking. They flooded shopping malls to panic-buy and stock-pile whatever foodstuff they could as a shield against the ‘clashes’ that could have prevented them from going outside their homes. It is now over a week after the new President was announced and subsequently inaugurated. And all predictions of post-election violence have since died out, thereby adding impetus to the status of Zambia as a peaceful country. As in the words of Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) president Edith Nawakwi – the only woman contestant in the presidential race – time is ripe for Zambia to start focusing on development, not violence. “We need peace, we need stability and we need our people to start thinking about creating wealth at household level. Zambia is the heart of Central Africa. Anything that goes wrong here during or after the elections will affect our brothers and sisters in the region,” Ms Nawakwi commented. “Zambians must understand that in the region, everybody is busy with the development agenda; no one in southern Africa wants to start dealing with a horde of refugees that arise out of post-election conflict.” Marvin Walumba, a Lusaka resident, supports neither the ruling party nor any opposition political party in Zambia. But he is still able to acknowledge the peaceful nature of the recent election and gives credit to all the political players. “I am neither a PF nor an MMD supporter but I would like to give credit to the losing party (MMD) for staging a peaceful and transparent election. They had all the powers to manipulate the results but for the sake of peace and tranquillity, (which) our beloved country has enjoyed since independence, MMD for once put the people’s desire on top of theirs,” Mr Walumba said. “To the winner, I say ‘congratulations, you fought battles, cried foul but never gave up and in the end people jubilated over your triumph. In every story, there is the beginning and the ending. I will live to see where your story ends’.” United States President Barack Obama commended Zambia for holding peaceful elections and said it has helped the country to build on its commitment to multi-party democracy. “The hard work of a living democracy does not end when the votes are tallied and the winners announced. Instead, it offers the chance to reconcile and to advance greater security and prosperity for its people,” President Obama said. Zambia, southern Africa’s oldest democracy, has set an example for the rest of Africa and the world on how power should be transferred without incidents of violence. Former President Banda graciously conceded defeat barely few hours after President Sata had been announced winner. In his televised national address, Mr Banda called on all Zambians to rally behind the new President and ensure that the country continues on its path to economic development. United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon praised the smooth transition of power and commended the country for holding elections and upholding democratic principles in an environment that was overall peaceful and orderly. Mr Ban has also extended his praises to the ECZ for the critical role it professionally played in ensuring a credible and transparent election process. “(I) am pleased that Zambians have today shown Africa and the world that change can be brought about peacefully when democracy is allowed to flourish,” Mr Ban said. And many more people still continue speaking highly of Zambia’s recent free and fair elections that have effectively consigned all fears of violence to the dustbins of history.