SOCIALIST Party leader Dr Fred M’membe has conceded defeat in Thursday’s presidential election, congratulating UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema whom he says has carried the day.

Meanwhile, Patriots for Economic Progress leader Sean Tembo has also conceded defeat, asking President Edgar Lungu to immediately provide security to ‘president-elect’ Hichilema.

In a video statement televised by Diamond TV, Friday, M’membe congratulated the UPND for the 23 years of resilience and wished them well.

“Dear comrades, it’s now apparent that the Socialist p]Party has lost the elections. This election defeat hurts; however don’t forget that defeat is not bitter unless you swallow it. We congratulate Mr Hichilema Hakainde and the UPND over their outstanding electoral performance. Their persistence and resilience is admirable. They have been at it for almost 23 years and in seven elections. The Zambian people have spoken, we wish them well,” he said.

He urged the people of Zambia never to stop believing that struggling for what is right is worth it and added that the plight and suffering of the Zambian masses will not come to an end with the continuation of the capitalist path.

He added that despite the outcome not being what they expected, he felt pride for the revolutionary election campaign the party put up.

“This is not the outcome we wanted or we struggled so hard for and I am sorry to all our members and supporters that we did not win this election for the values we share and the vision we hold for our country but I feel pride and gratitude for this wonderful revolutional election campaign that we built together. This vast, diverse, creative, unruly, energiser election campaign, you represent the country,” he said.

“I know how disappointed you feel because I feel it too and so do many Zambians who invested their hopes and dreams to this revolution and effort. This is painful but I want you to remember that our campaign was never about one person or even one election, it was about the poor of this country, the people and the country we love and about building a more just, more fair, more humane Zambia that is hopeful and big hearted.”

He further urged his members to accept the election result and look to the future.

“We must accept this election result and look to the future. Revolutionaries remain resolute in wanting the best for their country men and women, country and future generations. Our constitution enshrines the peaceful change of government and we don’t just respect that, we cherish it and we must defend it as the people of Zambia. And let me add, our constitution demands participation, not just every five years but all the time. So let’s do so, or let’s do all we can to keep advancing the revolutionary causes and the values we all hold dear,” Mmembe said.

“So now our responsibility as revolutionaries and indeed as Zambian citizens, is to keep doing our part to build that more just, more fair and more humane Zambia we seek, we struggle for. I am confident that you will.”

Mmembe further thanked everyone who contributed to the party’s campaign and urged the youths to continue fighting for the revolution, no matter what they face.

“To everyone who sent their contributions, as small as K1 and kept us going, thank you from all of us. To my young revolutionary comrades, I want you to know that I have spent my entire adult life struggling for what I believe in. I have had successes and setbacks, sometimes really painful setbacks. Many of you are at the beginning of your revolutional lives; you will have successes and setbacks too,” said Mmembe.

“I still believe as deeply as ever that if we stand together and struggle together, with the strength in our socialist and ideological convictions and love for this nation, our best days are still ahead of us. And you should never ever regret struggling for that. You know the scripture tells us, let us not grow weary in doing good for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. So, dear comrades, let us not grow weary, let us not lose heart, for there are many more revolutionary seasons to come and there is more work to be done. I love you all.”

Meanwhile, in a separate statement, Tembo said it was apparent that Hichilema had carried the day.

“As Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP) we wish to announce to the nation that based on the results that have so far been announced from various polling stations across the country, we would like to concede defeat in the presidential race. It has become apparent to us that this was predominantly a two-horse race between the Patriotic Front (PF) and the United Party for National Development (UPND), and therefore even the other presidential candidates who had invested heavily in the race have performed dismally. As a Party, we shall dusty ourselves up and reorganize in the next five years so that we can perform better in 2026. As Patriots for Economic Progress, we further wish to state that based on the results that have so far been announced, it appears inevitable that Mr Hakainde Hichilema of UPND will win the presidency in this election. We therefore call upon President Edgar Lungu and his Government to move immediately and provide state security to the UPND Presidential Candidate, as per custom. It must be noted that provision of state security for a presidential candidate does not require that such a candidate be officially declared as a winner, but only when it is likely that such a candidate might win,” stated Tembo.

“As Patriots for Economic Progress, we further wish to thank the Zambian people for their huge voter turnout and for exercising their right and duty to vote, in a peaceful manner. Given the fact that the eyes of the entire region and world are on Zambia, it gives me great joy and pride to be a Zambian and to be associated with yet another possible peaceful transfer of power.”