Hichilema burys democracy ahead of August elections before putting Lungu to rest- Mundubile
Presidential aspirant and Tonse Alliance leader Brian Mundubile, the President Hakainde Hichilema led administration is suffocating democratic space ahead of the forthcoming general elections.
Zambia is set to hold elections on August 13 and Mundubile says the current regime is weaponizing state institutions pitting them against the opposition.
He says his own ordeal is a good example on how deep the repression has become.
“Last month, my mobile phones — three of them — were forcefully taken away from me at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport by state police and intelligence operatives.
“They searched them without a warrant, seized my passport, interrogated me for almost ten hours, and detained me without charge,” Mundubile says.
He adds: “You don’t need a law degree to know that taking away property and detaining a citizen without charge is a breach of law. It is a human rights violation.”
Addressing the media recently, Mundubile pleaded with the international community — including SADC, the European Union, and the United States and UK — to “cast their spotlight on Zambia’s shrinking democratic space.
He warned that “democracy is going to the grave today in Zambia right before the eyes of the world today before the elections”.
Mundubile, was arrested twice in one week as well as facing another attempted arrest before Easter, and he questioned whether he will even be allowed to appear on the ballot.
“What is happening to Zambia, once known as the last beacon of democracy in the sub‑region where arrests are now like birthday gifts dished out t the will of the government?” he asked.
He cited recent abductions of opposition figures, including Emmanuel Mwamba, lawmaker Emmanuel JJ Banda, and businessman Valden Findley, describing Zambia as “becoming a Gestapo state where dissenters are abducted, not arrested.”
“I am being accused of trying to set Zambia on fire, to destabilize it. How can I burn the country I seek to lead? I love Zambia, I love the Zambian people, and I want to rule a peaceful Zambia not turn it upside down,” he said.
He cautioned that the weeks leading to the filing of nomination papers will be “the most trying moments” for the opposition, urging vigilance from the church and international partners to ensure candidates are not blocked from contesting.