RAILA ODINGA: Zambia’s politics have taken a worrying turn
Now is the time for African democrats to speak out, writes former Kenyan prime minister Raila Odinga
Last August politicians across the Continent watched with mounting concern as the drama surrounding the elections in Zambia unfolded. Without doubt the election result was close; many alleged it was stolen. Last week, Hakainde Hichilema (HH), the leader of the main opposition party, the UPND, was arrested on charges of treason and so far, both the African and the wider international response have been muted. Now is the time for African democrats to speak out. The run up to the 2016 Zambian elections were acknowledged by election monitors to have been lopsided. President Edgar Lungu’s Patriotic Front used state resources to support their cause, shut down media outlets, and deliberately disrupt the opposition campaign. Even the EU election-observation mission noted that “the campaign period was marred by systematic bias in state media, which failed to provide fair and equitable coverage of the campaigns of all parties, limiting the possibility for voters to make an informed choice.” T...
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