Voters in Zambia on Thursday braved the cold weather and flock to polling stations to cast their vote in the general elections to elect their President, members of Parliament, executive mayors, council chairpersons and councilors.
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The presidential race is likely to be a straight contest between incumbent Edgar Lungu of the Patriotic Front (PF) and Hakainde Hichilema, the leader of the opposition United Party for National Development (UNPD).
If no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote, a second round of voting between the top two candidates must be held within 37 days.
Lungu, became president after narrowly winning a January 2015 by-election after the death of Michael Sata.
Zambia’s electoral body said yesterday it had not deliberately delayed to start announcing the results of the presidential election, saying it was still waiting for results from various constituencies.
Zambia is known for its relative stability, but the election campaign was marked by weeks of clashes between the rival groups, with at least three people killed in the run-up to the vote.
He said the election will be a revolution against the opposition political parties who have failed to see what the ruling party has done in the last five years.
But ECZ public relations manager Cris Akufuna told stakeholders that the announcement of results had been pushed to 15:00 hours and then later pushed it further to 18:00 hours.
Meanwhile, Zambia’s electoral body and global observers expressed satisfaction with a peaceful voting process amid high voter turnout. Hichilema, a close second in that election, called the vote a sham.
At his final rally, Lungu mocked Hichilema for being a wealthy businessman who is making his fifth bid for power.
Zambia, ruled by Kenneth Kaunda from 1964 until 1991, recorded GDP growth of 3.6% a year ago – its slowest since 1998.
Zambia, in contrast to neighbours like Angola and Zimbabwe, has escaped war and serious upheaval since independence from Britain in 1964.
The UPND has also accused the ruling party of corruption and being unable to contain the economic crisis which is affecting the country as a result of the falling copper price (copper makes up for 70% of Zambia’s exports) and the drought-induced water shortages.
Observers are braced for trouble when the results are announced on Saturday. The former Nigeria President has been out monitoring the elections as polling stations open in Lusaka, Zambia’s capital on Thursday morning.
Analysts have warned that the election count could be tense.
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“There is a syndicate in this institution and the syndicate is colluding to steal the election”. The ballot paper for the referendum employs an interesting use of symbols-voters in favor of allowing the amendment tick a box symbolized by an eye, while those against vote with the ear. The country has held competitive and peaceful elections since the 1990s.
