Zambian police questioned leading opposition figure Brian Mundubile on Thursday over an alleged threat to national security, state television reported, citing a security forces spokesperson.
Mundubile finished second in Zambia’s disputed presidential election and has announced plans to challenge the results in court.
Police summoned him for questioning last week following a security raid conducted after the August 14 general election. The operation resulted in the arrest of 11 members of his political camp, while former minister Mutotwe Kafwaya was reportedly shot dead by police.
Political tensions have intensified since Zambia’s electoral commission declared incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema the winner with nearly 61 percent of the vote.
The unrest has been fuelled by the killing of the former minister, a wave of arrests and opposition accusations of serious electoral irregularities.
Mundubile, who secured around 38 percent of the vote, said the day after the results were announced that he would file a legal challenge. He cited what he described as major violations during the electoral process, some of which he said were also documented by independent observers.
Hichilema’s victory secured him a second five-year term, but the disputed election and subsequent security crackdown have renewed concerns about Zambia’s democratic trajectory.
Once widely regarded as a model of democratic governance in Africa, Zambia is now facing accusations from opposition groups that the government is consolidating power and suppressing political rivals.