Zambian opposition leader calls presidential vote a sham

Zambian presidential candidate Hakainde Hichilema denounced the country's presidential election as a sham on Saturday, and accused rival Edgar Lungu of stealing the vote. Hichilema made the allegations as partial results released by the Electoral Commission of Zambia showed Lungu of the ruling Patriotic Front party leading by a hair with 47.96 percent of the votes counted against Hichilema with 47.17 percent.
Four constituencies are yet to come in and final results are expected later Saturday. "This election has been a sham and does not reflect the will of the people," said Hichilema, leader of the United Party for National Development (UPND). "If Edgar is sworn in he should know that he is an illegitimate president," he told journalists.
Hichilema, a self-made businessman on his fourth run at the presidency, said the election had not been fair from the start, and decried violence directed at his supporters ahead of the vote. "We have experienced widespread violence against our supporters and party members throughout the campaign, as well as deep irregularities in the counting process."
He urged his backers to remain calm "for the sake of Zambia," and vowed his party would emerge stronger ahead of general elections in 2016. The vote in Africa's second biggest copper producing nation was held to replace president Michael Sata, who died in office in October. Zambians went to the polls on Tuesday in an election marred by poor turnout and delays due to inclement weather.
Voting extended over three days, delaying the announcement of results and causing agitation among Hichilema's supporters. Scores of his backers stormed the electoral commission's offices Thursday on suspicions it was fixing results in favour of the governing party. Hichilema had alleged discrepancies in the counting process, and demanded the commission verify the results in the presence of officials from his party and the ruling PF. On Wednesday, police fired tear gas to disperse a group of Hichilema supporters gathered outside the commission's counting centre in the capital.