Ambassador Schultz and other Embassy officials met this week with presidential candidates from Zambia’s main political parties urging free, fair, transparent, and peaceful elections on January 20. Ambassador Schultz met with Edgar Lungu, candidate of the Patriotic Front, and in the ambassador’s absence, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. David Young met with Hakainde Hichilema, candidate of the United Party for National Development. Ambassador Schultz stated, “The United States will be pleased to work with whoever wins the Zambian presidential election. We will not take sides. Our concern is that the election is undertaken in a manner that peacefully upholds democratic procedures and transition.”