Lusaka – August 14, 2021

The head of the African Union Elections Observation Mission (AUEOM), President Ernest Bai Koroma,  has this this morning delivered the ‘Preliminary Statement on the AU’s Findings and Assessment’ of Zambia’s 12 August multi – tier elections. Largely, the AU adjudged the conduct of the polls as generally smooth, transparent, credible and peaceful.

At the same time, the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), has started announcing results, particularly of the presidential elections.

As at 1:00pm local time today, the results from 31 out150 constituencies have been announced by the ECZambia. Of these, the opposition United Party for National Development has almost doubled its lead, obtaining a total of 449, 699 votes as against the ruling Patriotic Front’s 266, 202 votes.

So far, this process too is going on transparently, and peacefully amid concerns that delay in releasing the final results could feed into the deep – seated mistrust and trigger disturbances.

As Zambia awaits the announcement of the candidate who would become their new president, the head of the AUEOM has urged Zambian political leaders and supporters to be patient with the ECZ and to keep the peace.

“I urge all political leaders and supporters alike, to continue to keep the peace and to be patient with the ECZ while they painstakingly navigate through this critical phase. At the same breadth, I encourage the ECZ to continue with the hard and delicate task of expeditiously bringing this democratic exercise to a peaceful and acceptable closure”.

President Koroma has also continued to appeal to Zambia’s political leadership to be magnanimous in victory as a consolation to those who may have lost.

 “In every political contest, there is always a winner and a loser but it’s magnanimity in victory that essentially inspires graciousness in defeat,” said the AU chief observer.

President Koroma went further to share some personal experiences on political contest.

“I have been in both situations of losing and winning and I know that there’s no shame in losing. Meanwhile, being a winner presents even much bigger responsibility to keep the country together as well as ensuring the safety and security of opponents,” asserted President Koroma.

It could be recalled that former president Koroma had contested and lost presidential elections in Sierra Leone in 2002. But in 2007 and 2012, he won the presidential contests and then at the end of his second and final term

in 2018, he graciously bowed out of office.

Speaking this evening to the leadership of the Christian Churches Monitoring Group at their headquarters in Lusaka, the AU chief observer offered the following assurance to the people of Zambia:

“Once again, in solidarity with the Zambian people, the AU will stay engaged until this process is concluded peacefully and the outcome accepted by the political leaders and the great people of Zambia.

Updated data and analysis with the latest release from ECZ (31 constituencies so far). http://democracyinafrica.org/the-zambian-election-results-all-here-with-analysis/