Zambia

LUSAKA, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Zambia is targeting to put about 5,061,280 of its vulnerable population this year on a welfare program, a government official said on Friday.

Brenda Tambatamba, the Minister of Community Development and Social Services, said the government plans to scale the Social Cash Program this year by increasing the number of households from 973,323 last year to 1,027,000 this year, translating into 5,061,280 individuals in all the country's 116 districts.

LUSAKA, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Zambia's holding of general elections on Aug. 12, 2021, and the peaceful transition of power by the incumbent president maintained Zambia as one of the few countries on the continent to see peaceful transitions.

The southern African nation has established a reputation as one of Africa's stable democratic nations with regular elections followed by peaceful transfers of power since the country's founding leader, the late Kenneth Kaunda, introduced multiparty democracy in 1991.

LUSAKA, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Zambia on Wednesday called for eliminating inequalities to curb the spread of HIV infections when marking this year's World AIDS Day with the theme of "End Inequalities, End AIDS, End Pandemic."

Noting the southern African nation recorded 51,000 new HIV infections in 2020, Minister of Health Sylvia Masebo expressed concern over the current AIDS situation in her country.

9 Nov 2021; MEMO: President Hakainde Hichilema, on Tuesday, ordered Zambians who live and work in Ethiopia to leave because of civil unrest in the East African nation.

"Fellow Zambians, on my orders, we have today safely evacuated our fellow citizens from Ethiopia. We thank the Ethiopian authorities for their cooperation and everyone involved in this operation and we pray that the conflict in Ethiopia is resolved as soon as possible," Hichilema's office said in a statement.

LUSAKA, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema will make his first trip outside the country since winning last month's elections by attending the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, his office said Saturday.

The Zambian leader will attend the UN General Assembly to be held in New York, the United States, from Sept. 20 to 25, according to a release.

LUSAKA, Zambia (AP) — Zambia’s veteran opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema has won the southern African country’s presidency after taking more than 50% of the vote.

Hichilema was declared president–elect by Esau Chulu, chairman of the Electoral Commission of Zambia, early Monday after results for 155 of the country’s 156 constituencies were announced.

President Edgar Lungu, 64, conceded defeat and said he would work for a “peaceful transfer of power.”

LUSAKA, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Zambian President Edgar Lungu has declared Thursday's presidential and parliamentary election "not free and fair" after incidents of violence in three provinces, he said in a surprise statement released on Saturday.

Lungu, who was trailing his main contender Hakainde Hichilema in early results from the electoral commission, said the Patriotic Front party that he leads was consulting on its next course of action.

LUSAKA, Zambia (AP) — Zambians are voting in tense elections that the president and his main rival have said are a test of the southern African country’s reputation as a stable democracy.

Polling began early Thursday morning in the presidential and legislative elections at more than 12,000 polling stations, including in prisons. More than 7 million people, or over 83% of eligible voters, have registered to vote, according to the Electoral Commission of Zambia.

LUSAKA, Zambia (AP) — Zambia’s standing as one of Africa’s most stable democracies is being tested this week in the vote in which President Edgar Lungu is seeking re-election.

A tight race is expected and some analysts say the presidential poll may provoke a political crisis in the southern African country.

LUSAKA, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Zambia's governing party on Saturday officially adopted incumbent President Edgar Lungu as its candidate in this year's general elections.

The Patriotic Front (PF) officially adopted the Zambian leader during a ceremony held at the Mulungushi International Conference Center in Lusaka, the country's capital, by presenting him with a certificate of adoption as its candidate for the August 12 elections.