from ARNOLD MULENGA in Lusaka, Zambia
Zambia Bureau
LUSAKA, (CAJ News) – VOTING got off to a chaotic start in Zambia on Thursday, with allegations of vote rigging mounting as millions went to the polls.
Some polling stations could not open on time, while others feared insufficient power would prevent them from carrying out the exercise in the evening. There were also allegations of bogus Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) officials asking prospective voters outside polling stations to leave because their names did not appear on the voters’ roll.
Other citizens reported that their names were indeed missing and that they could not cast their votes.
In the Roma Constituency of the capital Lusaka, it was alleged that some members of the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) were involved in ballot snatching.
This, according to the Patriotic Front (PF), which is a member of the Tonse Alliance challenging the UPND, happened on the eve of the elections. Allegedly, a light truck arrived at the polling station and took away the ballot papers. As a result, the ECZ reportedly delayed opening the polling station, and voting had not yet started by the time of publication.
The Tonse Alliance reported at around 11h00 that 12 polling stations in Malole Constituency, in Mungwi District, Northern Province, had not opened.
“We have been in the queue for a lengthy time and there is no sign that voting will begin anytime soon,” said a prospective voter.
These included Kalungu, Kangala, Katongo Chibwe, Mfishe and Mutemba.
There was anger at the Maramba polling station in the border town of Livingstone, towards Zimbabwe, following a late opening.
At Hellen Kaunda School polling station in the Copperbelt, there were fears that there would be insufficient power to conduct the elections in the evening.
In Chalala, the ECZ was accused of planning to move a polling station to another unknown location. The Tonse Alliance made the allegation.
The UPND alleged that bogus ECZ staff were influencing some prospective voters to leave because their names were not on the voters’ roll and they would therefore not be allowed to participate.
The incumbent party said it had received complaints from Lilanda School polling station and John Leng School polling station, both in Lusaka.
“We also ask citizens and UPND members to nab and hand over such people to the police when they find them outside wearing reflective jackets and pretending to be ECZ officers,” the party stated.
It blamed the opposition and some congregants.
“This behaviour was being done by opposition Tonse and some named members from some church in Chawama by-election and Kasama by-election. In Kasama, we stopped it. They want to continue with the same behaviour.”
The election was held in January. The UPND won.
Voters were largely undeterred by the upheaval on Thursday.
A majority braved the chilly weather to cast their votes.
Some slept in queues to be first in line.
Chipata District in Eastern Province was among the busiest, with thousands having cast their votes by the afternoon, with no incidents reported.
“I am excited to have voted for the first time in my life. I voted for a party I believe has the interests of the majority at heart,” Grace Mwewa (22) said.
Incumbent Hakainde Hichilema and First Lady Mutinta voted at Kabulonga Boys Secondary School in Lusaka Central at around noon.
“Five years ago, you placed your trust in us. Today, the decision for the next five years rests where it should – with the people of Zambia,” he said after voting.
His main rival, Brian Mundubile, cast his vote in the afternoon at Olympia Park Secondary School, also in Lusaka.
“I cast my vote with confidence in the power of the Zambian people. Every vote is a voice, and every voice matters,” he said.
A prominent member of the family of late president Edgar Lungu was Tasila, his daughter.
She received a rousing welcome at Kabulonga Boys polling station in Lusaka.
Ms Lungu, the former Chawama Member of Parliament, was accompanied by her husband, Patrick Mwansa, to cast their votes.
She lost the seat prematurely after her lengthy absence from the National Assembly, following an extended stay in South Africa where her father eventually passed away in 2025.
More than 8 million Zambians are registered to vote in the general election.
The ECZ was scheduled to address the nation later in the day.
– CAJ News