UPND Respects ECZ Pause but Urges Swift Return to Results

The United Party for National Development (UPND) has said it respects the Electoral Commission of Zambia's decision to pause the counting and announcement of results, while urging that verified figures reach the public as quickly as possible.

In a statement issued in Lusaka on Thursday, Hon. Mulambo Haimbe, SC, a member of the party's National Management Committee, said the UPND fully respected the Commission's independence and its constitutional mandate over the collation, verification and announcement of results.

He said the safety of ECZ staff and members of the public must be the top priority, and called on the relevant authorities to guarantee it so that the work could continue without fear or disruption. Zambians had every right to celebrate their democracy, he added, encouraging them to do so peacefully and with dignity.

Mr Haimbe stressed, however, that it was vital verified results reached the public without delay. An information vacuum, he warned, was "fertile ground for rumour" and for the unverified claims of victory already circulating. The steady announcement of verified results, he said, was the best antidote to misinformation and the surest guarantee of public calm.

He urged all political stakeholders to give the Commission every cooperation so that announcements could resume at the earliest opportunity, and called on the ECZ to keep the nation informed at every stage.

"The UPND has declared nothing and will declare nothing," Mr Haimbe said, adding that only the Commission could announce the outcome of the election.