Polls have opened in the five parliamentary by-elections in Solwezi Central, Zambezi West, Mkushi South Kasenengwa and Vubwi constituencies.
Polling stations opened at 06:00 hours and are expected to close at 18:00 hours later this evening.
The campaigns leading to today’s by-elections have been largely peaceful with no incident of violence reported.
This is in sharp contrast to incidents of violence recorded in recent by-elections involving rival political parties.
The five by-elections came about as a result of the nullification of election results by the High Court citing electoral malpractices.
Meanwhile the Anti-Voter Apathy Project (AVAP) says it expects today’s polls will see a good turnout of voters in view of the peaceful campaign period.
And AVAP Executive Director Richwell Mulwani has urged the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to seriously reflect on the controversial electronic election results transmission system following its rejection by some political parties taking part in today’s by-elections.
Mr Mulwani told Qfm News that in view of the fact that some political party have rejected the system which is earmarked to be piloted in the Vubwi and Kasenengwa constituencies, the commission should realize that going ahead with the system will only be a source of conflict.
Look at the voter! She hungry, how can she surely make an informed decision? Look at the station, Even Bosnia after machine guns had rocked the place looked better. The officer is also curled up in hunger. No no no. This is sad. We cant recover. Thieves will only get richer. How sad. I cry oh mother Zambia
@Cat Power
You’re being silly. Hunger or interior decoration is hardly the focal point here. It is democracy in action, when even the humblest turn up to exercise their right to choose who runs their country. Let’s hope more humble people like her do duty to Zambia by turning up to vote. If you don’t vote you’ll be hungry forever and have no say.
You look and sound like a Fat Cat whose ‘eating all the pies’!
You are a disgrace.
Cat Power is right and so called Patriot Abroad is a useful *****. The poor woman voted for clever young better future UPND and HH, but her vote and many other voters are robbed of a better future by a thieving gang of fat belly crooks and an ailing and senile Sata.
YOU ARE A LIAR. THE VOTER IN FACT LOOKS VERY HEALTHY. MUNE WAUPA RUSSIAN TANK OR INSOFU?
@upnd cadre from ngombe compound lsk
Get a grip. What are you saying really? You contradict me in a manner that shows how unpleasant HH’s supporters are. You are not doing HH any favours at all, because people can read how unpleasant and senseless you are.
Let the best candidates and party win. there’s no need to go for each other’s neck. whoever is going to carry the day, please give them a hug to show that we are peaceful and we don’t want Ebola by physically attacking each other. More especially those in Solwezi, you may end up fighting with a Zairian from Zaire or Kasai from Mbuzimai in the typical east of Zaire formerly Known as DRC.
@ Cat power, you shud be passionate about our fellow Zambians, that woman has reason for her existence on the universe.
Cat power It’s sad for someone to laugh or tease another person for being in the situation she is in just because you are living well. Cat power you just a bush product that lacks to articulate issues with brains but with slavery mentality . You work your a-nu-s out night and days and laugh on this decent human being with many things to enjoy about. Social network, family support and the list is endless. Hy. You clean bums of old mamas and thing we don’t know you. Stop insulting our people you frustrated and clueless pathetic creature
Yes…. this is what happens when people are let down time after time. The govt has to embark on civic education programmes…..
UPND supporters’ are mute following their embarrassing defeat in Mangango. UPND may not manage to win a single seat today.
No we are not mute. We are saying stop rigging these elections and we will win all of them. Mangago was rigged by Mwaliteta, I know that for a fact. You cannot have polling stations where 2 people vote upnd and 100 people vote PF and then another polling station where 20 people vote upnd and 16 people vote pf. In a random sample, you expect the vote distribution to be similar with a reasonable degree of error. look at the figures and tell me it was not rigged. This is why UPND was winning at the beginning and then suddenly huge PF margins came from nowhere and it was over. It will happen again today, just watch!!! It is time for opposition to stop this rigging.
@ The Bricklayer, there was no rigging in Mangango. In 2011 about 7,000 voters’ cast their votes and the same number (97%) participated in last months’ bye election.The reason UPND failed to win Mangango bye election was because it had not improved on it’s 2011 level of popularity . The same people who voted for UPND in 2011 about 2,300 are the one’s who again supported the party in the bye election.This situation may replicate itself in Solwezi-Central if voter turnout will be close to that of 2011. In 2011 UPND got about 8,000 votes while PF got 7,800 with only a difference of 200 votes. If UPND has not improved on its popularity PF will easily scoop Solwezi-Central seat as it will leverage on the additional 9,000 voters’ who supported MMD in the 2011 general elections.
@Dabwitso
I hope you don’t believe your own lies. There is no way you can get a 97% participation rate in a bye-election. It is just not possible. This is actually evidence that there was rampant rigging. Stop rigging these elections. This is why you are hiding the so called elected MP at Sampa’s home in lusaka because you don’t want him to say the wrong thing and expose the scheme.
@ The Bricklayer, you have interesting evidence of rigging, why do you not present it to ECZ?
The voter doesn’t look hungry to me; she looks pensive. On the infrastructure around her, sorry guys, I have to go with Cat Power. Our sense of maintenance in Zambia is admittedly very low or simply missing. How many houses or public buildings have you seen being repainted over a space of say 5 years??? Hardly any and usually it is a result of a big event (like the President coming to visit, or some new manager ordering a clean up, etc.). It is hardly part of a routine way of doing our work functions. Same goes for emergency preparedness. Just read the Luanshya School story on lightning and you will get the idea…
On the subject at hand: May the best candidate carry the day without let or hindrance!
@Kalok. You should know it’s not very different here. Local authorities in the UK don’t carry out repairs for years on end. In fact I think we got this from the colonial period!
Of course PF will win all the by-elections. Bonse mwemuletalika if we lose even just one seat, just inbox me for a free K100 and I will give it to you without argument or quarrel- that’s my bet. You don’t have to stake a bet yourself, because ndiwalusesana ine, I don’t want you to make a bet which I know you will definitely lose because I know for sure PF is sweeping all the by-elections today. There is no opposition in Zambia, and PF is now 99% in all corners of Zambia.
Okay, been patiently waiting…..!! Any Heads Up on whose winning….please! This is different from last bys. By now we were like getting first drips! This android stuff does not work!
Stop using drugs.