Den politiske “orden” er genoprettet i Zambia, som atter får en sort præsident efter et mellemspil med den hvide zambianer Guy Scott på posten efter forgængeren Michael Satas død i oktober. Men den nye præsident, der blev indsat i embedet søndag, vandt med yderst kneben margen.
Dobbeltminister (forsvars- og justitsminister) Edgar Lungu fra den regerende Patriotiske Front sejrede nemlig knebent med 48,33 procent af stemmerne mod 46,67 pct. til rivalen Hakainde Hichilema fra the United Party for National Development.
On Saturday, Mr Hichilema called the election stolen, accusing the electoral commission of manipulating the results to favour Mr Lungu, a former lawyer, BBC online reports.
In the interim period following Mr Sata’s death, aged 77, Zambia was ruled by Guy Scott, a white Zambian of Scottish descent.
He was prohibited from contesting the election because his parents were not born in Zambia.
Mr Scott was the first white president in mainland Africa for 20 years (since F.W. de Klerk, South Africa) and has been involved in Zambian politics since the 1990s.
Though he was close to Mr Sata and served as his running mate, his relationship with Mr Lungu is less cordial.
In November he sacked Mr Lungu as the Patriotic Front’s secretary-general prompting riots in the country.
Mr Lungu will serve the remainder of Mr Sata’s term until elections in 2016.
Mere om Edgar Lungu på
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Lungu
Den mangeårige statslige danske udviklingsbistand til Zambia blev neddroslet og til sidst helt indstillet ved udgangen af 2013 – se mere på http://um.dk/da/danida/det-goer-vi/aarsberetning2010/landekapitler/zambia
Mere om det store sydafrikanske kobberland på
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zambia
