Zambia's President dissolves cabinet and parliament, elections due 20 September

Zambian President Rupiah Banda has dissolved Cabinet and Parliament ahead of this year's general elections and subsequently announced that elections will be held on Sept. 20.

In an address to the nation broadcast on state television and state radio on Thursday, Banda said he has decided to dissolve Cabinet and parliament in line with the powers vested in him as the country's president.

The Zambian leader said he will continue exercising executive powers, together with his vice and that permanent secretaries will be helping him, until a new government is put in place.

The Zambian leader said he had consulted widely with the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) and other stakeholders to ascertain the date of the elections, adding that he had been assured that most of the logistics for holding the elections are now ready.

The head of the ECZ said on Wednesday that the organization was ready to conduct this year's general elections, saying preparations have so far reached an advanced stage.

The Zambian leader also thanked his ministers for their commitment to duty, saying his administration has laid a solid foundation for the country.

Banda has also called for peaceful campaigns by all players, saying there is need to respect the revised electoral code of conduct which was launched on Tuesday this week

According to the Zambian laws, elections must be held 90 days after the dissolution of parliament.

Opposition parties have been pressing Banda to announce the elections date, claiming that his continued use of state vehicles and media before announcing new polls was tantamount to abuse of state finances.

United ticket in the campaign

Sata's party had teamed up with the smaller United Party for National Development (UPND) to run a united ticket in the campaign. But their coalition quickly fell apart when the parties failed to agree who would top the ballot.

Despite the break-up, UPND spokesperson Charles Kakoma told AFP the party was ready to challenge Banda.

"Let them now stop using state resources, and we want free and fair campaigns. I am certain that Banda now knows that his time is up. We are ready for him,'" Kakoma said.

Although Zambia is among the world's poorest countries, the economy has grown steadily in recent years, with growth at 7.5% last year - a showing that Banda has claimed credit for.

Africa's biggest copper producer, Zambia has benefited from strong commodities prices and a surge in foreign investment to open new mines and expand existing ones.

Last year copper exports hit a four-decade peak of about 750 000 tons. The government aims to more than double that figure to two million tonnes by 2015.

Banda actively courted Chinese and Indian investors to help Zambia weather the global economic slump, but the growing Asian presence has become a political hot potato.

Two Chinese mine bosses were cleared in April of charges they fired guns into a crowd of protesting workers, a case in which Sata championed the workers while Banda urged Zambians not to stoke tensions with the Chinese.

Banda also faced protests after the acquittal of former president Frederick Chiluba on graft charges, when Banda disbanded the corruption busters who had brought the case to trial.

The move sparked accusations that Banda was seeking to bury the case.