Risultati delle elezioni in Zambia

In Zambia le elezioni hanno dato come vincitore Levy Mwanawasa, già presidente dal 2001 ad oggi. Purtroppo il suo avversario Michael Sata ha accusato brogli durante le elezioni, e adesso c'è il rischio di disordini nel Paese. Lo Zambia figura al 166° posto su 177 Paesi nella graduatoria stilata dall'ONU in base all'indice di sviluppo umano. Malgrado la povertà, tuttavia, è uno degli Stati più stabili politicamente e più promettenti dal punto di vista economico dell'Africa australe.
Qua sotto trovate un articolo della bbc che approfondisce il tutto.

A coffin with "Sata is dead" on the side was taken to the ceremony

Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa has appealed for unity after being sworn in following disputed elections.

"This is not the time to settle scores. Let us all be united to build Zambia," he said after his re-election.

His closest challenger Michael Sata has claimed massive fraud and said he was the rightful winner.

Mr Sata's supporters have staged two days of violent protests, mostly in poor districts of the capital, Lusaka, where the army has been deployed.

Mr Mwanawasa gained 43% of the vote, while Mr Sata got 29%.

The other main candidate, Haikande Hichilima, won 25% to come third.

Speaking in the National Assembly, Mr Mwanawasa said the people had spoken with a clear voice.

"They want a general improvement of their lives... We have to fight poverty and we have to fight all vices that are affecting our country."

'Voter fraud'

Mr Sata said he would make life difficult for Mr Mwanawasa "inside parliament and outside parliament".

He has alleged voter fraud, saying as many as 400,000 votes appeared not to have been counted in areas where he had expected to do well.

Levy has stolen victory, but this is just a temporary setback because we are going to fight on Michael Sata

He told the BBC there was lots of time to investigate the ballot: "Levy Mwanawasa's term of office does not come to an end until January, 2007.

"We have... three months in which we can clear all of these things and we have [a situation] where all of the presidential candidates are satisfied."

Electoral Commission President Justice Ireen Mambilima said she was investigating complaints from both Mr Sata's Patriotic Front and Mr Hichilima's United Democratic Alliance.

Mr Mwanawasa's Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) has also won a narrow majority in parliament, with 72 of the 148 contested seats.

The president also nominates eight MPs, meaning his party will have 80 seats - just over half of the 158 MPs.

The PF won 46 seats, while two by-elections will be held following the deaths of candidates.

Looting

In Lusaka on Monday, protesters threw stones at police who responded with teargas and by firing live ammunition into the air.

Looting of shops owned by MMD supporters has been reported in parts of Lusaka.

There have been two days of rioting in Lusaka

There has also been rioting in the northern city of Kitwe, another PF stronghold.

Clashes initially broke out on Sunday in Lusaka when the electoral commission announced that Mr Sata had fallen from first place to third in interim vote counts, as results from rural areas arrived.

The violence and allegations of irregularities contrast with the voting on Thursday, which international observers praised as being generally efficient and transparent.

Since being originally elected in 2001, Mr Mwanawasa has been credited with raising economic growth above 5% and winning Zambia billions of dollars of debt relief.

But the economic reforms have not improved life for most of Zambia's poor, revival in the crucial copper sector has been slow and unemployment is high.

Mr Mwanawasa's election victory in 2001 was also accompanied by allegations of fraud.