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“If Africa can’t yet send men to the moon, we should at least organize elections that are free and fair of which the whole world will be proud.”
Former President Goodluck Jonathan emphasized the need for free and fair elections in Africa with the words above.
Jonathan, who is leading the African Union Elections Observation Mission to Zambia, made the statement via his Twitter handle on Monday.
The southern African country holds its presidential and parliamentary elections this Thursday. The presidential election has two major contenders – the incumbent, Edgar Lungu of the ruling Patriotic Front, and the Hakainde Hichilema of the United Party for National Development.
Both Mr. Lungu and Mr. Hichilema had contested in an early election in January 2015, following the death of the then President Michael Sata. Mr. Lungu won by a narrow margin.
Jonathan said of his team of observers:
“As they (are) ready to deploy to the field I charged my observers to uphold the hopes and aspirations of Zambians”
He has so far met with candidates in the elections, representatives of Zambia’s electoral commission as well as the former president of Zambia, Kenneth Kaunda.