Chiluba's long farewell

President Chiluba failed earlier in the year to secure a third term

President Frederick Chiluba has given a farewell speech ahead of Zambia's independence day expressing pride over his 10-year rule, but apologising for mistakes.

In the process of changing the country I may have made some errors. For these I wish to seek your forgiveness

President Frederick Chiluba

President Chiluba is expected to retire after upcoming elections, but he did not reveal the much anticipated polling date.

But he said in a televised address he expected the elections to be peaceful, and urged Zambians to turn up and vote.

Speaking on Tuesday on the eve of Zambia's 37th independence anniversary, the president thanked the country for his two five-year terms in power.

"Thank you, Zambians, for giving this rare opportunity to serve in this position," he said.

Mistakes

In April, he failed to secure an unconstitutional third term in office.

Lusaka lawyer Levy Mwanawasa is Chiluba's choice as successor

In the knowledge that he will be leaving, he used his speech to apologise for mistakes made during his decade in power.

"In the process of changing the country I may have made some errors. For these I wish to seek your forgiveness," he said.

He did not elaborate on what those errors might have been.

Level playing field

But he said the political playing field had never been as even as it was now.

"These elections will confirm our national resolve to entrench our democratic idealism," said the president, who ousted founding President Kenneth Kaunda in 1991.

Last month, Mr Chiluba formally launched prominent Lusaka lawyer Levy Mwanawasa as presidential candidate for the governing Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD).

All he would reveal as to the date of presidential parliamentary and municipal elections was that they would be held "in the coming weeks".

With the country still on tenterhooks, the president is due to address the nation again on Wednesday.