President Lungu sets the campaign bar high
21st May shall go down as probably one of the highest points in the political journey of Edgar Chagwa Lungu, the President of Zambia and official candidate of the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) in the crucial poll slated for 11th August 2016.
The once under-stated Kopala lad who grow up from house number 4001 in Kitwe’s Chimwemwe Township of blue collar parents, silenced his harshest political foes when he packed an estimated more than 80,000 people in the 60,000 capacity Heroes Stadium in Lusaka over the weekend.
Analysts say the feat remains ‘unbeaten’ since Zambia started keeping political records and could only mean the sixth President of Zambia had struck the right codes the minds of the electorate since assuming office after a popular poll on 25th January 2015.
Lungu’s campaign is expected to be boosted by a strong infrastructure build-up of bridges, roads, hospitals and a special attention to the energy sector where billions have been pumped in order to set up the country as a net exporter of power in about two years’ time.
Lungu has also won the hearts of Zambian women voters by making Madam Inonge Wina the first woman vice President, and now the first running mate in the crucial poll that commences in under three months
He also won hearts and minds for openly enjoying a relationship with God in the Christian southern African country, and showing a huge distaste and contempt for tribalism, violence and graft.
Book-makers are falling over each other placing Lungu ahead of the game in a race they say he ‘stole’ on 21st May 2016.
President Lungu is also largely seen as a unifying leader and an embodiment of stabilisation by both local and international analysts.
About six million Zambians, mostly women are expected to cast votes in a race President Lungu ostensibly leads in under 78 days.