Zambia: Michael Sata sworn as president

Zambian opposition leader Michael Sata has been sworn in as president after beating incumbent Rupiah Banda in a tightly contested election.

Mr Sata, who had run for the presidency four times, was declared the winner with 43% of the vote.

"The people of Zambia have spoken and we must all listen," Mr Banda told journalists, wiping away tears after finishing his speech.

His Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) had ruled Zambia for 20 years.

Mr Sata - the flagbearer of the Patriotic Front (PF) party - was sworn in by the Chief Justice Ernest Sakala and handed the ceremonial presidential flag by Mr Banda.

"Deep inside me, I feel some kind of relief that this is over and this has been done in a democratic and civilised way," he said.

He said previous Zambian presidents had accepted electoral defeat and "I did not want to be the first one to disturb our democratic process".

On Thursday, there had been riots in the country's northern mining region by opposition supporters impatient for the results of Tuesday's polls.

The results were declared with seven constituencies still outstanding, but electoral officials said Mr Banda would not be able to catch up with Mr Sata's lead.


Source:BBC