Big win for new opposition party

Zambia’s new opposition Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) won a landslide by-election victory in a working class Lusaka suburb on Tuesday, dealing a blow to President Frederick Chiluba’s party, news reports said.

The FDD candidate (Jeffrey Samukonga) won in 32 polling centres out of 34 in Chiwama, which was held by vice-president Christon Tembo before Chiluba sacked him in May. The election was, however, marred by political violence. The police were forced to fire teargas to disperse brawling party supporters with the opposition alleging the government intended to rig the vote.

FDD secretary general Edith Nawakwi said the party’s victory signified a major shift in Zambian politics, dominated by Chiluba’s Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) in the past decade, AFP reported.

Meanwhile, cabinet minister and MMD national secretary Michael Sata is to face charges of inciting violence arising from the inter-party clashes after polling in Chiwama, police said on Wednesday. “We have opened a docket against the minister and we are further investigating the matter,” a senior police officer told AFP.

Police said they had opened the case against Sata - Chiluba’s right hand-man - after complaints from the opposition that the minister-without-portfolio had masterminded the clashes that left nine opposition supporters seriously injured. The victims were hacked in the head with sharp objects while cars belonging to opposition supporters were smashed.