ZAMBIA has once again demonstrated that it is indeed a peaceful country whose bedrock is firmly anchored on democratic tenets.
The journey though rocky started immediately after President Michael Sata died in a London hospital on October 28, 2014 after an illness.
The Zambians upon receiving the death of Mr Sata were in a state of shock and temporarily the future of the country looked bleak after losing the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.
As per requirement by the Republican Constitution, Zambia had to go to the polls to elect the next President, 90 days after the death of Mr Sata.
This is exactly what happened as acting President Guy Scott set January 20, 2015 as the date for voting and it is commendable that all political parties that participated in this election abided by the Electoral Code of Conduct.
It can however, not be disputed that isolated cases of violence were recorded here and there.
It is therefore envisaged that Zambians will continue living in peace and harmony after this Presidential election.
A valuable lesson has been learnt from this election to the politicians, citizens, Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) or indeed all stakeholders in the electoral process.
What is important is for all Zambians now to concentrate to building the country so that development continues to be the core business in order to have a prosperous nation.
It is very clear that the just ended election according to the voting patterns had some connotation of tribalism.
Zambians are once again encouraged to be objective in the manner they vote rather than taking the tribal tag to polling booth when voting.
Zambia has remained united in the last 50 years because the issue of tribalism has not been at the helm of our politics.
To the winner Patriotic Front (PF) president, Edgar Lungu, we say congratulations for the hard fought for victory.
This entails that there is more work to be done and there is no time for honey-mooning.
The president elect, as rightly put by the PF secretary General, Davis Chama has a mammoth task to unity the party and the country.
The period leading to the 2016 general election will require a lot of hard work and selfless service by those in positions of authority.
Now is the time to hit the ground running and ensure that Zambians receive a fair share of the country’s wealth.
To the losers, your work was not in vain as democracy entails that a variety of choices should be accorded to the citizenry from which they can select or vote for.
This is not the end of the road as other opportunities are still coming. For now, it is imperative that all the opposition political parties should support the PF government in its mandate to better the lives of all Zambians despite their political affiliations. COMMENT