Zambian president meets AU observer mission team ahead of polls

Lusaka (Zambia), August 10: Zambian President Edgar Lungu on Monday met an Election Observer team from the African Union (AU) ahead of this week's general elections.
The Zambian leader met the team led by former Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma at State House where they held talks.
During the talks, the Zambian president urged the team to execute its mandate diligently and have a clear picture of the conduct of some opposition political parties.
On his part, the AU Election Observer team leader said the mission will deploy 30 observers to all the country's 10 provinces.
He said the mandate of his team was to ensure that peace, security and democracy prevailed during the elections.
Meanwhile, former Zambian President Rupiah Banda has advised losers in this year's elections to accept defeat. Banda, the country's fourth president from 2008 to 2011, said the winner in this year's general elections should be magnanimous and show respect to the losers.
Banda, who accepted defeat in 2011, said political leaders should uphold the country's peace which has been prevailing since independence in 1964.
Zambia will hold general elections on Aug. 12, with incumbent President Edgar Lungu facing 15 other contenders.
Source: Xinhua