{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-shaheen-merkley-van-hollen-issue-statement-ahead-of-elections-in-zambia", "Booker, Shaheen, Merkley, Van Hollen Issue Statement Ahead of Elections in Zambia", "2026-08-12", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "NJ", "Cory A. Booker", "B001288", "www.booker.senate.gov", "booker", "https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy; Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Jeff Merkley (D-OR); and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) issued the following statement calling for peaceful, fair elections ahead of the August 13 elections in Zambia:\n\n\u201cThe United States values its long-standing partnership with Zambia. Over the last two decades, the United States and Zambia have partnered on peacekeeping, the U.S. President\u2019s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) programming and democracy initiatives that have improved global health, stability and social mobility. Although this partnership has been strained by the Trump Administration\u2019s attempts to link lifesaving health assistance with critical minerals access through the Global Health Memorandum of Understanding, close cooperation between our countries remains more important than ever.\n\n\u201cThis is why we are especially concerned by the Zambian ruling party\u2019s attempts to undermine the country\u2019s electoral environment ahead of its August 13th elections. The ruling party\u2019s recent actions are reminiscent of previous elections where political opponents \u2013 including current President Hakainde Hichilema \u2013 were arrested in an effort to silence opposition. President Hakainde Hichilema and the United Party for National Development (UPND) appear to be using the same laws that once victimized and imprisoned political figures like Hichilema to propel him to a second term. Laws governing political campaign gatherings are selectively enforced to stifle opposition rallies, and Zambia\u2019s Constitution and electoral framework were hastily reformed without meaningful civil society consultation.", 1, "2026-08-13T06:17:16Z", "2026-08-13T06:18:13Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-shaheen-merkley-van-hollen-issue-statement-ahead-of-elections-in-zambia"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.8039850983768702, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}