Riot after Zambia election result

LUSAKA, Zambia -- Violence broke out between supporters of the ruling party and the opposition following a parliamentary by-election in Zambia.

Street battles between the two sides resulted in serious injuries and vehicles set on fire on Tuesday.

Geoffrey Samukonga, of the newly formed opposition Forum for Democracy and Development party, won the seat with 2,005 votes. Lindon Mfungwe, the candidate for the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy, recorded 1,542 votes.

The Chawama by-election filled the seat left vacant when Zambia's former vice president, Christon Tembo, resigned from the ruling party in May.

Tembo has helped form the new party consisting of former cabinet ministers who were fired or resigned in opposition to President Frederick Chiluba's attempt to run for an unconstitutional third term.

Chiluba recently declared he would not seek a third term, but his party has not proposed another candidate for the elections to be held before the end of the year.

The trouble started after the ruling party's national secretary, Michael Sata brought a group of supporters to the Chawama township shortly after voting ended at 5 p.m., witnesses told The Associated Press.

On learning of Samukonga's lead in the vote count, some of the ruling party supporters who had guns, machetes and sharp stones started to riot.

Vote counting was temporarily stopped as security officers fought running battles with the residents for about two hours, and Chawama was cut off from the rest of the capital for several hours.

The situation only calmed down when police reinforcements arrived and started firing live bullets and tear gas.

The riot was the second time violence erupted around the Chawama election. The two sides fought in the streets last Friday during a campaign meeting.

Police have been deployed in the township since then and authorities say they will remain there until peace is restored.

Vernon Mwaanga, Zambia's information minister and a spokesman for the ruling party, called for responsible leadership from opposition leaders, saying violence was wrong in Zambian politics, AP reported.

Rabbison Chongo, vice president of the opposition United National Independence Party, accused the ruling party of disturbing Zambia's peace.

"This country will be set on fire if (the ruling party's) conduct in elections is not checked," Chongo warned.