Zambian politicians warned against flouting Covid rules

Police in Zambia have warned political parties against flouting Covid-19 guidelines as campaigns intensify ahead of the 12 August general elections.

The country’s electoral body had banned rallies, allowing only door-to-door campaigns as part of the Covid-19 regulations.

But both the governing party and opposition leaders have been holding rallies under the guise of distributing face masks to their supporters who are often not observing social distancing.

The leader of the main opposition Hakainde Chilema shared a video of a recent rally.

Zambia' police chief Kakoma Kanganja said he expected “police officers to use force in bringing order in the country”.

“From today onwards, I want to see total compliance to existing regulations, failure to which action shall be taken on officers failing to do their job,” Mr Kanganja said in a statement.

“You have been tolerant for a long time and this tolerance is being taken as weakness by some political players," he added.

This article originally appeared on BBC News

Photo: Hakainde Hichilema Twitter