Opposition leader rejects Zambian poll

Protesters were urged not to use violence

Zambian opposition leader Christon Tembo has said his party will reject the results of last week's election and launch nationwide protests.

We should protest countrywide against the government which will be elected fraudulently

Opposition leader Christon Tembo

Mr Tembo, the leader of the Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD), said he would lead the protests at alleged vote-rigging with six other opposition parties.

His statement came as the latest vote count showed a strengthening lead for ruling party candidate, Levy Mwanawasa.

The latest certified results gave Mr Mwanawasa 30.4% of the vote, ahead of Anderson Mazoka of the United Party for National Development with 29.6%. Final results are due on Tuesday.

Reports say hundreds of opposition activists marched to the supreme court in the capital Lusaka to protest against the alleged ballot rigging, as European Union monitors said there had been discrepancies in the count.

Nationwide protest

"I call upon all our members countrywide to act firmly," said Mr Tembo, who has garnered only 13.2% of the vote.

The MMD's Mr Mwanawasa is current President Frederick Chiluba's chosen political heir

"We should protest countrywide against the government which will be elected fraudulently," he was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.

Leaders of Mr Tembo's party organized massive street protests in May to force President Frederick Chiluba to abandon his bid for a third term.

Mr Mwanawasa, who is Mr Chiluba's chosen heir, said the opposition was acting irresponsibly by not waiting for the final results.

"This is a threat to peace and does not create the right environment for investors," he told the AFP news agency.

Chief Justice Matthew Ngulube has agreed to an opposition request to investigate allegations of voting irregularities across the country.

"You don't go to the chief justice and threaten him," Mr Mwanawasa said.

"If you are aggrieved, you wait to take action stipulated within the law, which is at present 14 days after the result is announced," he said.

'People power'

But speaking on behalf of the 10 opposition parties, opposition spokesman Reverend Nevers Mumba told the protest gathering in Lusaka that the vote was fixed and "people power" should prevail.

Mr Mazoka has already declared himself the winner

"This is the time to show your power," he was quoted as saying by the Reuters news agency.

"We urge you to do so peacefully and in a non-violent manner," he said.

It was not immediately clear why the march had gone ahead after an earlier statement that it had been cancelled.

Monitor concerns

EU observers said there were reports that opportunities had not been equal for all parties.

They also said discrepancies had emerged in the counting process, adding that such issues should be addressed before a new president is inaugurated.

The chairman of the Coalition 2001 alliance of local monitors, Ngande Mwanajiti, said several incidents suggested that vote-rigging had taken place.

Zambia's elections

11 presidential candidates

150 elected parliamentary seats

2.6m registered voters out of 11m population

Voting from 6am (0400GMT) extended after original 6pm (1600 GMT) deadline

Observers: The Commonwealth, European Union, Organisation of African Unity, Southern Africa Development Community, US Carter Center

"We must therefore not take lightly speculations that elections results may be tampered with," he told the AFP news agency.

Mr Mwanajiti said his alliance of non-governmental organisations had questioned the electoral commission about incidents, but had received no reply.

Mr Mazoka has said the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) "rigged the elections extensively".

In a joint letter, the candidates said they had received reports that ballot boxes had been stuffed, new ballots had arrived after counting had been completed, and that voter cards were used fraudulently.

The former Nigerian military ruler General Abdulsalami Abubakar, who is heading monitors from the US Carter Center, said his team were aware of reports of ballot boxes being left in insecure places and of intimidation by ruling party officials at polling stations.

Electoral officials say an unexpectedly high turnout - 80% of Zambia's 2.6 million registered voters - took local and foreign observers by surprise.