LUSAKA — Opposition leader Michael Sata conceded yesterday that incumbent Levy Mwanawasa would be declared the winner of Zambia’s disputed presidential elections as Sata’s supporters again rioted in Lusaka.

Sata refused to accept that Mwanawasa had won the ballot fairly but said he did not want to waste his time challenging the result through the courts.

“Once Mwanawasa is declared the winner, I will congratulate him for successfully stealing the vote,” Sata said.

“I am not going to petition (the supreme court) because I have no time to waste in court. I will go back to the people and thank them for their support but I will put up a big battle inside parliament and outside parliament.”

The comments came after the latest set of results showed that Mwanawasa had a commanding lead with only 10% of polling districts still to declare.

Mwanawasa, leader of the Movement for Multi Party Democracy (MMD), had 1065732 (43%) of the 2,52million votes counted in 135 of the 150 districts, elections commission chairwoman Ireen Mambilima said.

Sata was in second place with 686654 votes, representing 27% of the total.

Hakainde Hichilema, head of a three-party alliance, was in third place with 668396 votes.

Both Sata and Hichilema have voiced unhappiness about the counting process, with the Patriotic Front alleging that about 400000 ballots were unaccounted for. The elections commission has said it is investigating the complaints.

Asked if he was making a formal concession of defeat, Sata replied: “How can I concede when I am complaining of votes being stolen?” However, Sata, who has a massive following among Zambia’s urban poor, repeated an earlier appeal for calm from his supporters. “We are not going to do anything that will destroy Zambia,” he said.

Sata’s pleas failed to put a halt to a second day of rioting in slum areas of the capital where a mob looted and set fire to shops owned by Mwanawasa supporters, as well as clashing with the security forces.

Riot police unleashed volleys of tear gas and fired ammunition into the air in a bid to quell the violence in the Chipata township in the north of the city, according to an photographer at the scene.

A number of the protestors sustained cuts and bruises as they were arrested but there was no sign of serious casualties.

About 20 shops owned by MMD activists were targeted by the rioters, who could be seen making off with their contents.

Residents in the city of Kitwe, in the north of the copperbelt region, also reported rioting by Sata supporters.

Violence first erupted in impoverished suburbs of Lusaka on Sunday night as Sata slipped well behind Mwanawasa in the count of ballots.

At one stage, the army was sent in to restore order.

Sata’s campaign was largely based on his pledge to reverse the plight of the poor in a country where two-thirds of people live on less than a dollar a day.

But, while he performed strongly in urban areas, he has failed to widen his support to rural regions where Mwanawasa’s base held up.

Mwanawasa, who has asked for more time to make inroads on poverty levels, is seeking a second and final term in office.

The mild-mannered former lawyer acknowledged during the contest that he had only “scratched the surface”.

The MMD has been in power since 1991 when the party ousted Kenneth Kaunda, the country’s president since independence in 1964.

As well as choosing a president in Thursday’s election, Zambians also cast their ballots for parliament and municipalities.