from ARNOLD MULENGA in Lusaka, Zambia
Zambia Bureau
LUSAKA, (CAJ News) – COUNTING is underway after high voter turnout marked what is the biggest election in Zambia.
Allegations of vote rigging by the main opposition persisted at the end of voting on Thursday evening, hours after the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) assured it would transmit the results within 72 hours.
The ECZ was to begin announcing the first batch of results at local level on Friday.
However, both parties tipped as frontrunners had jumped the gun, releasing unofficial sets of results, being selective in their postings in that they only posted results from polling stations they stated they had won.
Brian Mundubile, leader of the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP) and flagbearer of the Tonse Alliance, after midnight maintained that there had been foul play.
“We remain wide awake to reports from various polling stations that there could be some disturbances going on around the vote count,” Mundubile stated.
“We are actively looking into this and we shall, as it were, address these reports exhaustively with the ECZ. Meanwhile, we call upon all our supporters to be alert. We will address you at an opportune time.”
Mundubile is the main challenger to incumbent Hakainde Hichilema.
Hichilema earlier stated: “Voting across the country has been peaceful and calm, and we commend the Zambian people for once again showing maturity and commitment to democracy, peace and unity.”
Brown Kasaro, ZEC Chief Electoral Officer, said the commission would release the results as captured on the documents to be used in the results management system.
In case of discrepancies with the results to be sent from the constituencies, ECZ would send back such a document for verification purposes.
Kasaro said, generally, the elections had been held in a peaceful atmosphere.
He, however, conceded to some inconveniences experienced by some voters.
ECZ had dispatched officers to remedy the situation at the University of Zambia, where some students were denied voting after the stipulated time.
Yet ECZ had extended polling hours at stations that had opened late.
The commission confirmed voting at one of the polling stations in Bangweulu was delayed after strong winds blew off the roof.
More than 8.7 million had been registered to vote in the eighth election held, including the 1991 poll that ended the one-party rule of Kenneth Kaunda, now deceased.
– CAJ News