Zambia’s Chief Justice is scheduled to swear-in veteran opposition leader Michael Sata as the country’s new president Friday. The electoral commission declared Mr. Sata, leader of the Patriotic Front (PF), winner of Tuesday’s presidential vote. He defeated incumbent President Rupiah Banda of the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD).
Director of Elections Priscilla Isaacs said the electoral commission met its target of releasing the final results of the vote within the 48-hour deadline it set for itself.
“For President Sata, he got 1,150, 000, 45 votes and the the runner-up, the former President Rupiah Banda, got 961, 796, and then [Hakainde] Hichilema of UPND [United Party for National Development] got 489,944 votes,” Isaacs said. She said Mr. Sata will be officially installed Friday.
“Mr. Michael Sata has already been declared president by the chief justice, who is also the returning officer for the presidential election, and the inauguration is going to take place today,” she said, “because our law provides that, once the results are declared for a presidential election, the presidential should be sworn-in no later than 24 hours after the declaration.”
Full Article: Zambia opposition leader Sata assumes presidency Friday | Africa | English.
