LUSAKA, ZAMBIA – Echoes of jubilation filled the city Friday when President Michael Sata, 74, of the Patriotic Front political party was declared the winner of the 2011 presidential election 35 minutes after midnight.
Cars and trucks honked in celebration. Some men walked around with their shirts off, while others danced to music. People displayed banners featuring small boats and paddles, the symbol of the Patriotic Front. Many chanted “Don’t Kubeba,” the party’s slogan during the campaign, which means “Don’t Tell,” referring to supporters’ strategy of not telling anyone they were voting for Sata.
"We want change, and the only way change can come is through casting our votes."
As anxiety mounted during the two days between the vote and the announcement of the final results, citizens expressed relief Friday for the mostly peaceful transition to a new leader.
“We are happy the elections have been peacefully,” says Wilson Kamanga, a businessman, as he walks down the street. “The will of the people has prevailed.”
He says expectations for the new party are high.
“We expect leaders to work for the people,” he says. “They are servants for the people and should maintain peace and unity the country has enjoyed.”
While celebrations erupted around Lusaka, Zambia’s capital, these same streets were empty only days earlier.
Shops were closed, and few people roamed the streets in Kanyama, a compound of Lusaka. Instead, they packed local schools to vote Tuesday in Zambia’s presidential elections. Long queues of people filled the schools, which served as polling stations, as people from all works of life exercised their right to vote to elect the next president of their country.
Fredah Banda, 41, but who could pass for 25, is one of the many Zambians who turned out to vote at Kanyama Basic School. Banda stood patiently in the long queue, waiting to cast her vote. Wearing a light green floral chitenge – a sarong-like garment – as a skirt, a white scarf on her head and a dark shirt, she stepped forward as the people in the line moved ahead. She says she had been in the queue for an hour but that she didn’t mind waiting because she strongly believes that her vote makes a difference.
Banda zeroed in on her main drive to vote, which was echoed by many throughout the week: change and jobs.
“We want change, and the only way change can come is through casting our votes,” she says in a shy yet bold voice. “We need more jobs because most people who are educated people are unemployed.”
Banda, a single mother, sells ice blocks and water in small plastic bags for 100 kwacha ZMK (2 cents USD) each in a struggle to support her family. She has five children, but three live with her ex-husband.
She says she dropped out of school in ninth grade because her parents died. Banda now lives with her grandfather, who offers her shelter in Kanyama.
“I have children to take care of, but since there are few jobs, and I am not employed, I am hoping there will be change with the government that will be voted in,” she says.
She says she wants to vote for a candidate who prioritizes employment. She says the government should make certain jobs available for high school dropouts like her, such as a cleaner in a government office.
Zambians looking for change celebrated the election results throughout the weekend, repeating their hopes that the new government will mean new jobs. Voters last week echoed their desires for expanded employment opportunities. Although violence broke out at some polling stations, the elections were overall peaceful. Local and international election observers helped in ensuring a peaceful and transparent voting process. Sata made promises in his inauguration speech to continue this commitment to peace during his presidency.
