Zambian opposition leaders have urged the African Union (AU) to intervene in the post-election crisis, warning that the planned inauguration of President elect Hakainde Hichilema could render scrutiny of the disputed vote “moot.”
Hichilema is expected to be sworn in on Tuesday after he was declared the winner of the August 13 vote.
Opposition leader Brian Mundubile and his running mate, Makebi Zulu, have been detained and kept in custody on allegations of treason after going into hiding following their rejection of the presidential election results.
Authorities have accused the opposition figures of planning an armed insurgency, allegations they have denied.
Writing on behalf of the Tonse Pamodzi Alliance, former diplomat Emmanuel Mwamba told AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf in a letter, that Zambia’s judicial mechanisms for contesting election results had been disabled.
He wrote that the sealing of court premises in August 24 by armed security forces, directly affected the submission of petitions by aggrieved electoral stakeholders.
–ChannelAfrica–
