the fight against coded and combating climate change, or 2 of the dominant issues in this election. although more than half the population has now been double vaccinated against the corona virus, there are still many millions who have not. while in the aftermath of the recent floods in western germany, many people say they support tougher climate change policies in a close election. however, the parties can appeal to these 2 different groups of people may hold the key to success or failure in september dominant cane al jazeera erlene. ah, hello again. the headlines on al jazeera, international pressure is building on the taliban to stop it's offensive across have gone to san urgent talks. are underway here. and so how would the us sending it to envoy for i've got a sounds i'll make some deals odd to meet with taliban representatives. your group

has captured at 6 provincial capital since friday. uh huh. june isn't dealt with more us special envoy for afghans all my bills out has arrived. he got here about an hour and a half ago at the venue meetings have started. and so far we've been told that, aside from the us delegation, there are also envoys from the u. k. u in the u. china pakistan. and it was becca st on we were told earlier that russia had arrived as well. but it seems that that delegation has not yet made it to these talks, which are all happening so far behind closed doors is of course as a country hosted event. this is an attempt to try to formulate some saw some type of international response for the rapidly deteriorating situation in afghanistan. a chinese court has rejected an appeal by canadian man sentence to death on drug smuggling charges. robert schellenberg was given a 15 year, a jail term in 2018,

but he was re sentence to death 2 months later, after the top chinese tech executive mang ones who was arrested in canada at the request of the us. grease the prime minister has apologized for not doing enough to tackle devastating fires burning across the country. you're looking at life pictures from area in greece and officials in the country, blaming climate change. but critics say the government should have been better prepares britons, prince andrew, is being sued in the us for a legit sexual abuse of a woman who says she was traffic by the late convicted sex offender. jeffrey epstein, virginia jeffrey says, the prince assaulted her when she was 17. 1 person has died in guinea of the marbury virus in west africa. the 1st ever reported case the world's health organization describes the virus as highly infectious and life threatening similar to ebola. those are the headlines inside story. it's the country about to collapse

before the kinds of reform you're talking about can take place. we bring you the stories and developments that are rapidly changing the world we live in. why are we not in the best situation? why has that money been responded? how did that happen? counting the cost on al jazeera ah, welcome to the stream, i'm michelle. carrie standing in for me. ok. people across them via this week are going to the polls and attention general election dominated by to presidential candidates as incumbent edgarland go. and main challenge are they had to limit bid for victory. we ask, how will the outcome of this vote effect is ambia future? that is our question to day. here on youtube, you can finish your comments and questions for our live discussion in love for you to be part of this conversation. so joining us for this conversation, i room and hospice, she is alva 0 as africa correspondent. and as in sam

b as capital, we soccer anthony walla as spokesperson for presidential candidate a con. they had a limit and the opposition united party for national development also. and lusaka getting some last minute notes there, i can see and completing our lineup from this ambien capital. we have emma's china, he's a political spokes person for the ruling. patriotic front led by the president at gert lingo. hello everyone. thank you so much for joining us. we appreciate it, however, i'm going to start with you. does this have a feel of a close election? how would you describe what the atmosphere has been since you've been in country? one of the van there for me is one. those weird experience is way you arise in the country and partly because of course, 19 way people are really allowed to open the come out and campaign as much as i would like to not really feeling that election fever on the grounds. i mean you seeing some post here and there you things, some people campaigning,

but it doesn't feel like somebody listens. i felt before, but that said, when you do speak to people one on one in the ground, they'll tell you they feel that they subbing difference about the selection. they feel that thing do seem a little bit close. it could be a tight race, lots of issues on people's minds. of course, the main one being the economy and people are just watching to see what happens on thursday when they go to the votes and what the outcome is going to be. a big concern for my dad is will they be posted a violent one results on now? and if waiver loses, then accept the result. what do you see to you or their police or their army? is there any type of presence like that that you're seeing who present at the link to order the deployment to the military? a few days ago, off to the party said to of its supporters, what would killed the opposition of also the supporters of also been injured and killed as well. so there is that tension on the ground, but what i've seen,

i mean i've driven around and you don't really see the army on the ground. you see one or 2 here and there, but the, i'd like visit the present, but people know the or are they know that can be the back. it, they need to be said that does kind of but for the high, from the patient a little bit. but i mean, like i said, if you arrive today or tomorrow and you drive around, i live is obvious tension and violence. the grounds not going to see a big heavy presence of the matri at the moment. so her, as i said, you've been in country you've been doing some reporting, i want to play something for our viewers. and for our other guests to see there has been some violence. there has been some loss of life. it's been deeply painful for some people. so i want to play a little bit of a report that you've already sent us and we'll circle back on the other side. yeah, daniel to some with family. got a phone call, telling them to rush to the hospital. when they got the, his body was in the morgue. he supported the ruling patriotic front and was

campaigning for president edgarland go when he was killed. his inner tubes and friends say he was killed by opposition supported across town. another family is devastated medium to save us husband durham belonged to the opposition party u. p. n. d. he was putting up campaign posters when he was killed with a machete, allegedly by backers of the ruling party, get up. the message ticket hurts the way he died was cruel. i now have to look after the children by myself. i don't know what i am going to do or how i am going to manage without him. hard is that when you see what the violence does to people and the pain that it causes, are you seeing that this makes people more determined to go to the polls or does the scare some people people seem determined to go to the polls, but yes, it does came from people, i mean, even in that report, speaking to those 2 families from the ruling party and the opposition when you ask

them when you post them, you know, to tell the story or to give the name or to can you show they face it wasn't that easy to convince them to go on the record and tell the story, the kids both sides with saying, you know, what if someone sees me doesn't like what i say and they come off to me or my family is that psycho tension on the crime but that said they is, i can't explain it someone say to me that this feels like 991. you know when multiparty democracy was i should in how when to sit down and with a new faith for the country. people feel there's a bit of that happening. we don't know if that's going to happen or not, but is the feel that something is different about the selection. of course we only know when people go to vote and we see who they vote for. but yes, i can face up attend. com and that easy common ground, a lot of hope, lot of optimism. but of course that concerned that if we lose the selection does accept the result. what's going to be the way for the country?

amos, how would you describe be the atmosphere right now? what, what would you like the world to see about the atmosphere? and sam b as a selection is so close it exactly as a scene when she has been on the streets over the soccer, the complete you, different picture from that which is portrayed as, as tens celtic or something that shows that the country's ungovernable. and with regards to the deployment of the, i'm in force meant the security. what i would want to say the world must seize, i'm default what it is when you're on the street soldiers, you can see that. but the deployment is meant to renounce that security. so we want people to see some default to, to the country with a strong stablished democrats tradition that done. and marcia exist for a sufficiently free and fair election to take place. and, and this,

this is what the president is committing to, that not a single life, his wife, those he for, for you to choose, which is why is number one priority. the security tends to be over country and the unlimited if there is no peace and stability, it is not possible for a free, unfair, rich and talker. so, so far, what we are seeing now to get to be those lives been lost. but after that, what we are seeing now is that an atmosphere for a free and fair election exist. ok, loan tested institutions of governance. i in place to conduct a free and anthony i will. okay. anthony, do you feel like the set the scene has been set for a free and fair election? do you agree with what amos is describing? well, thank you very much and i think yeah, yeah, and it's been for them. so why it's a lot of things to be proud of and talk about this probably is

a long standing power and traditional piece that we have been enjoying for so many and folks who are the sacrifice and the hard work of several generations of it is in this country and for us in many respects, this election is about continually about traditional. he's, by the way, that they bring broad, the social and economic status for the 18 women. who in many respects you will show it changed and done by the sole. and yes or what as in dog article fadia bishop in this country. so the each question or the most been done the at the moment you how, how in the face that done this generally lobby and that we are committed to

ensuring that we go through the direction you sleep as indicated. we generally agree that not a single i should be should be lost lots of shit when the election. but mostly in the sense that you will understand that broadly speaking, has reached the past 10 years have not worked for their citizens. and therefore, a re, i didn't need for us to change the lack of confidence in the hearts of mind or citizens in and around it for the coming to the resume to and i must ensure is free and fair elections contributing to and must be a c and a citizen does not have the confidence that we have for the conditions necessary for the delivery of a friend very election. so attention. attention has been

taken away by the assurance by the president and not just by speech in speech, but inaction, that festival you've got to our free and fate. it should only when conditions of peace exist. and i think that we, we think that the taking o violence from the political amos, i want to show up and meet. let me just get, get in or for just a 2nd. i want to print something to you. that's an a report from amnesty said m c m international. i said this is a quote of what we have seen in zambia, especially in the past 5 years. is it increasingly brutal, cracked down on human rights characterized by brazen attacks on any form of defense? so you're describing piece, but piece at what cost, what are the measures that you're using to maintain this? so call piece. if you look at this in parliament, for instance, as a measure, if there is a brutal cut down on descent, it's one of the most vibrant vitamins,

probably in the entire africa. you have a very vibrant opposition that is able to stop a constitutional be from passing into low to achieve that you need a very vibrant see. was so sad that low be again, it's a government position and it's like ok, avis that that's ok. that's actually a good point. you're making, we have someone from the opposition here, anthony, do you feel that way? look it's, i think it's disingenuous and misleading to narrow commissions of the 3 and say less purely to one single aspect or 4 feet were always indicated. and i think the reports by the national, not just information have been server or that have been issued within the country by which one is to precisely the same 40,

which is the national race. yes, this is joy. but mind when it comes to cracking down on the opposition is unfathomable. it is something that is unprecedented. never is civil society which a much as the re, to, to be against government be on the records human rights defenders that been dropped to to court. maddie attempting to stage not to get it, but it probably got the ring outside the parliament in this country. it is practically this faith so well. ok. one moment that just gentlemen gentlemen, job gentlemen, just a moment. so i actually, we have a lot of yours that are watching on youtube too, that are really tuned in particularly to this aspect of the conversation. we have someone to basis lou who says this is the most unfair elections in the history of

my lifetime. opposition parties are not allowed to campaign freely and the ruling parties strongholds we have a lot of comments to that effect and a question very specifically from lia columba as a question for mr. shonda and your opinion. what makes this 2021 election free and fair? and then we're going to pivot to some of the issues with the economy in a moment. but i want you to answer that amos, yes. what, what makes it unfair? because the conditions this for the, for the position to content, of course it's a coffee direction as we, according it, has the impact on the rolling pad in the manner that it is not though we design the campaign, we have had to move it almost 360 degrees from our we do the campaign to digital platforms. the reason why you don't see the ring pad to making as much noise as the position does that we do have a commission that as a part of that, that's from the government that is in place. we do have

a great that is possibility and their position as if we are taught by the public director in one of the country not to move. you won't see us going to the media and cry about that. we suffer insight. but because they will position, do not have that bed and responsibility to that. we have you more about a to it should a general and everybody we as a social democratic movement that better at the front end. we like to talk to people in a campaign and we want to, i mean, we are just a moment just cuz we're having a tiny bit of a technical issue with you. so while we get that straight, i actually want to go to you, hey ruth, so everyone has referenced cove it and what we see is that the number of coven cases and zambia is about 200000. that's a really, that's a high number about 3500 debts. have people said you that they feel that the coven restrictions have gotten in the gotten in the way unfairly,

that they've been weaponized in any way to keep people from being able to organize? have you heard any frustration like that from voters? not yet, not the moment. what i picked up is that people are concerned about club at 19, but they also realize that they isn't elation and some kind of campaign and has to go ahead. so they try to balance the 2 and i'm talking opposite now doing party. what we see now, or the officially campaigns have been bad, but what you see some of these people doing, for example, the opposition sometimes doing party as well. they have what they call whistle stop rallies, where they go into an area and they said they had the marks, because of course, 19 to sensitize the public. but then of course, they didn't turn in typical rallies. interesting enough reason going good today on monday was at the airport where he officially open the new international april, which is both by china and the money that he followed where the country is. one of

the can be so much in debt and hundreds of willing party supporters with their there was no social discipline thing. some of them. what mosse? so i mean, officially bay is the thing that coven 19. be careful. no campaigning, cetera, cetera. but we've seen both parties and other political parties as well. sometimes i suppose breaking the so called law to campaign ahead of the election. you know, you brought up the airport and money from china. that's a perfect segue into the, the conversation that we need to have about the economy and debt and how much debt that the country actually has. so that, that's the broader issue. but before we get to that, i want to play something from, from some people and say, and be, and how they feel about the economy very specifically, and how it's affecting that. let's listen to that. so i'm go ahead, so they pause in the next few days with a name, $10000000000.00 debt hanging over their heads, the death of balloon to every vote of the government appetites to borrow and spend

. recently, the government defaulted in its payments in itself, in the junk state, i feel anything affecting the confidence of citizens and business i like and looking at the needs for the people of the i have of these lectures. one of the most important thing they want to see how the economy is going to still be lives. because looking at the currency quite over the past few years, it does depreciate it. a great deal. losing value has making it hard for the people to afford a meal on that table with people, especially those have been poor. and let me do the middle class income in as in the, in the, in the cities hoping to to 10 this election around and try to secure their lives now and the future that keith talks about the debt, the loans that are coming in from china. hiero, yeah, it'll get you great. wonderful things like airport. so what does it really mean for

somebody who needs to get food on the table? what is it that you're hearing from people about how frustrated they are about inflation high unemployment and how the economy just is not stable at? well, this is something very strange when i landed here. i mean, i was lawson damn me about 5 or 6 years ago. and when i landed in the soccer, i mean, you're amazed at the infrastructure development the road to the bridges. i mean, there's new a port looks fantastic. i mean, i'm from a countries and bob we way, we think that in terms of it, without the development, we'd better all than some of the countries inside that in the region. and i was like, amazed by how far that we've seen of gotten. and then i spoke to a young mother who was going shopping today for the basic no brain more cooking oil . and she says that because the economy is so bad, like inflation is high. salaries on going up as well. so people are struggling. she's got to cut back on luxuries for her and her son, as he saying, yes, she says, well, disgrace development, the nice roads, the nice buildings,

but she can't eat road. she car, the big fancy airport. so that's the frustration. lots of people have at the moment trying to balance the 2 way they see, to some extent the routing part of the president, putting all of these developments, but then the countries and so much, that means the government card provides certain services for the poor, for many van bands on the ground and ultimately the money that the owning is this is not enough for them to make in the is frustration from i think many van damme from all political parties on that front when it comes to the economy. so what about that? what, what does your party? oh, the people besides fancy new airport. that those are pretty with it to development . the one point that the p. f. complimentary club, nice, 2011. when we came into power that they did updated infrastructure, whether it's road or networks, airports was impacting on development as it were. that that the media on sunday,

and we've been treated to a power infrastructure that's the main stagnant for 40th. so we about to put 750 megawatts of power because there's been an expansion in industry remaining where they sent to people. so you, you got to invest in power infrastructure. i've got to invest in outputs deep banks . there's been an expansion in we're going to get the buckle and all those things are powered by, by, by energy center people. it's, you cannot have a public infrastructure that does not correlate with population. the only 2 ways of raising money or whether the personal level or national there, whether business, you see that debt to equity. if you don't city, we've got to go into debt. if that debt is invested in production miller and consumption these up, so you're doing nothing wrong. the government now 20212026 is moving into the micro

situation allows or for security income levels for the people actually, you can eat frauds because no other study in this country that is bump 5 if that is followed by western because people couldn't take the produce to market ok. know, and mr. hey mr. making you are making the case for why infrastructure is important . obviously it is and i certainly did not imply to be dismiss. it didn't mean to seem dismissive of that, but anthony does what amos is saying? does this ring through to you the things that he's saying, but that are important and does his government deserve more time to get this done? or do you think that people are going to say time is up and something will actually be different for your candidate who has actually run 6 times already? look, you cannot argue against infrastructure develop because that is indeed an in spokane, washington requirement for economics. but what you can argue against and what we

want to argue against in this space. number one, in the model in which a big contract is a huge portion of this public that's $23000000000.00, which i believe. and one talks about the 28th was contrasted eagerly without elementary approval. a public constitution is very clear that is to be approved by parliament and issued portion contracted after 2016 was never taken to parliament for trouble. in 2nd, they opted for expensive commercial debt. when b hobbs options for confessional financing from bilateral anthony and i got that and i just, i just wanna stop me off there for one second. i'm sorry one second. i understand your candidate is a business minute and that you're talking and terms that way. but does the average person, how does what you say, actually resonate with the average person who just wants to be able to afford the same groceries they could afford last year so,

so you have talked about how into millions of possible and i thank way just oh, goodness, anthony follows signal just froze there. yes. all right. and his name is lee. my name is amy said doesn't mean you get anthony's time, anthony. and we just i appreciate what you were trying to do there. amos but no, no, anthony, are you back? i can get the budget be in consequence of a huge amount of money that we are now cannot pay because now i'm in focus is on everything. and they said rather than being money into productive arrows, are they on? i mean, such as job creation, education and public health, yet you can imagine next year,

750000000 dollars. your point is due and the government at the moment just does not have anything to pay back. that's money. whereas we need to be focusing on investing productive economy. the economy itself is not in a state where it will be able to reach the regular generating revenue to be able to afford those productive economy. and this is why we keep on making the points that they will never be asked to grow. and those are the ordinary. if we do not end result the question of how the government or the all right, we asked me that, i mean that's going to have to be the final word that's going to a half and a half to be the final word hero. anthony m is thank you very much for joining us for this conversation. we'll be covering this throughout the week, leading up to the vote. you can always find this online if you go to our 0 dot com . thank you for joining us. ah,

ah frank assessments, the spyware is less than, again, surprising informed opinions what you saw happening get from market to there was 40 . there was petune is the critical debate. here. it's not between kula and any other conference here between 34 years re running to keep them people in depth analysis of the days global headlines inside story on our jazeera, in the wake of the coronel race. right. how much can someone take before the class? the fight recognition is crucial. we needed corner heads to prevail, brothers and hot heads of fable. and that was said the religion. and the thing that

was community would like to be disrespect to al jazeera explores the history and struggles of the lebanese community in australia. once upon a time in punch bowl on al jazeera, the news news news, news, news.

me . i the us send that afghan envoy. you don't have to press the taliban to stuff it's offensive, and hundreds of families lead to fighting ah, watson algebra live for my headquarters in delphi and daddy navigator also coming up. a canadian jailed and china loses his appeal against the death sentence, further straining relations between the 2 countries. i'm seeing bas robbie and.