President Hichilema Pledges Peaceful, Credible Polls

President Hakainde Hichilema has assured Zambians that the country will hold peaceful, free, fair and credible elections on 13 August, casting the vote as another chance to uphold the nation's proud tradition of peaceful polls.

Speaking at the Seventh-day Adventist Church Family Quartet Music Fellowship at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka on Saturday, the President said that despite isolated acts of lawlessness, Zambia would stay united throughout the electoral process. He appealed for campaigns built on ideas and solutions that improve people's lives, rather than rhetoric that sows division and conflict.

Leadership, he reminded those seeking public office, is ultimately about service, and demands that national interests be placed above personal ambition. He pledged that the government remained committed to safeguarding peace, and voiced his determination to see this election prove even more peaceful than the polls of 2021.

The President also struck a reflective note, observing that God had carried Zambia through past challenges and expressing confidence that the nation would once again emerge united once the votes had been cast.

His message was reinforced by Southern Zambia Union Conference President Dr Vanny Munyumbwe, who urged both political leaders and citizens to champion peace and unity before, during and after the election. Political differences, he stressed, should never be allowed to divide the country, and he called on all those seeking office to embrace Christ-like values of humility and service in the way they conducted themselves on the campaign trail.