Patriotic Front candidate, Mark Mushili, has retained the Ndola Parliamentary seat in a by-election held yesterday.

Mr. Mushili polled 10,722 votes beating his closest rival from the MMD Mary Zambezi who polled 7,563 votes.

UPND’s Joe Kalusa polled 1,417 while Masuzyo Chipanya OF UNIP got 339 votes.

Scollastic Mutale of the New Revolution Party polled 181 votes.

Ms Zambezi who had successfully petitioned Mr. Mushili’s election after the 2006 General election has again not accepted defeat.

She has refused to sign the results form, demanding a recount of the ballot papers.

And in Luapula, the Patriotic Front-PF has retained the Mwansabombwe Parliamentary by-election.

PF candidate, Samuel Chitonge, polled 4429 votes against his closest rival, an independent candidate, Sunday Maluba, who polled 1770 votes.

MMD’s Mable Kamangala polled One thousand and Ten votes while UNIP’s Mildred Chibwe accumulated 161 votes.

UPND’s Cephas Musonda, only managed 41 votes while Henry Ngosa of FDD got 69 votes.

The by-election was held after the courts had nullified the election of Mr. Chitonge in 2006.

Opposition Patriotic Front (PF) has taken a lead in the national presidential results in 19 constituencies.

PF leader Michael Sata has polled 187 863 votes and is followed by MMD’s Rupiah Banda who has accumulated 96  325 votes.

Electoral Commission of Zambia (CZ) Chairperson Judge Florence Mumba announced the results from 19 constituencies when she gave an update on national presidential results Friday morning.

The results indicate that UPND candidate Hakainde Hichilema has so far polled 26 033 votes.

Heritage Party leader Brigadier General Godfrey Miyanda has managed 2081  votes.

The results are part of constituencies representing Copperbelt, Eastern and Lusaka provinces.

ECZ is giving national presidential results at

Mulungushi International Conference Centre Lusaka as they are received from polling stations.

Patriotic Front (PF) leader Michael Sata has taken an expected early lead in yesterday’s presidential race, with ballots from 13 percent of the nation’s constituencies counted, the Electoral Commission of Zambian (ECZ) announced this morning.

The ECZ said Mr Sata of the PF has about 60 percent of the votes counted so far, with 19 of Zambia’s 150 constituencies reporting.

Acting President Rupiah Banda of the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) has nearly 31 percent of the vote, with Hakainde Hichilema from UPND and Godfrey Miyanda from HP dividing the rest.

Only constituencies from four provinces have reported results to the ECZ so far, with most of them coming from the Copperbelt and Lusaka region which are PF’s strongholds.

Zambians voted Thursday to choose a successor to president Levy Mwanawasa, who died in August following a stroke.

Mood amaong PF cadres is still muted as this is familiar territory for them. The dreaded MMD rural vote is yet to be reported and everyone’s attention is focused on that.

Most local radio stations have reported unofficial results obtained polling stations. According to these results, Mr Sata has won 57 percent of the ballots cast in 39 out of 150 constituencies, acting president and ruling party candidate Rupiah Banda is trailing with 30 percent.

Patriotic Front-PF- leader, Michael Sata, has opposed the use of the electronic transmission system in relaying presidential election results.

Mr Sata feels the system is subject to manipulation.

The PF leader has demanded for an urgent meeting with the Electoral Commission of Zambia Chairperson, Florence Mumba, and other political stakeholders in a bid to resolve his party’s concerns.

This is contained in Mr Sata’s letter addressed to Justice, Mumba and made available to ZNBC news in Lusaka this afternoon.

Mr Sata proposed that the ECZ uses mere faxing system where results announced and tallied at polling stations are endorsed by all officials before transmission to the Mulungushi International Conference Centre.

He said the PF is concerned that the results that will be transmitted will not be countersigned by election agents and monitors.

Mr. Sata observed that the electronic system does not provide for correction of errors once the results hit the National tallying centre.

Mr. Sata said his party is ready to wait for a few more days to collect faxed results of the original unadulterated results.

{ZNBC]

MMD Presidential candidate, Rupiah Banda, has cast his vote at Nyaputwa Middle Basic school near his farm in Chipata in the Eastern Province.

Mr. Banda who is also acting president cast his vote at around 09:00hours on Thursday.

The acting president was accompanied by his wife Tandiwe.

And Patriotic Front leader, Michael Sata, has cast his vote.

Mr. Sata voted at Jacaranda basic school in Lusaka central constituency around 08:00 hours.

He was accompanied by Party General Secretary General, Edward Mumbi.

United Party for National Development president, Hakainde Hichilema, is expected to vote in the afternoon.

The voter turn out has slowed down in most polling stations in Lusaka Central Constituency.

A check by ZNBC news shows that long queues that characterised polling stations in the constituency in the morning have disappeared.

And a team of SADC observer mission was seen going round polling stations in Lusaka, checking on the voting exercise.

Polling stations will close at 18 hours and initial results are expected on Friday.

Zambians are voting in an election that will usher in the country’s fourth President.

The election comes after the death of President, Levy Mwanawasa, on August 19.

Polling stations opened at 06.00 hours across the country on Thursday to enable the 3.9 registered voters to cast their ballots.

An early assessment shows that the voting is peaceful, with most polling stations recording a relatively fair turnout.

The polling stations will close at 18.00 hours and the first results are expected on Friday.

The Electoral Commission of Zambia- ECZ- has opened a center in Lusaka which will release presidential election results as they trickle in from various parts of the country.

ECZ Chairperson Justice, Florence Mumba, said the center is expected to announce the first presidential results by Friday morning

And a number of people in Livingstone have been turned away from polling stations because they do not have green National Registration Cards,NRCs while others have invalid voters’ cards.

Livingstone District Electoral Officer, George Kalenga says some people wanted to vote using photocopies of their NRCs or other documents like driving licences and passports.

At the Old Boma Polling Station the Presiding Officer, Owen Kashoti said one person was turned way because he wanted to use the voter’s card for the 2001 elections.

Meanwhile a number of people who have cast their votes in Livingstone are happy the elections are taking place in a peaceful atmosphere.

Others are however, concerned with the low turn-out of voters.

But Livingstone District Election Officer said the turn-out was high in the morning though it reduced later, probably due to the intense heat in Livingstone.

[ZNBC]

Second Republican President, Frederick Chiluba, shunned journalists who wanted to talk to him when he went to cast his vote on Thursday morning.

The former President refused to answer questions from journalists as he arrived at a polling station at Saint Mary’s Girls Secondary School in Lusaka constituency.

Dr. Chiluba who was accompanied by his wife, Regina and his press aide, Emmanuel Mwamba, just said he was going back home to read the bible after voting.

The former President arrived at Saint Mary’s Girls Secondary School around 11:00hours and went straight to cast his vote.

On Tuesday, Patriotic Front cadres harrassed Dr Chiluba and attempted to block him from attending an interview at radio Yangeni in Mansa, in Luapula province.

The cadres who lined up on Chembe road, which leads to the radio station chanted P.F slogans forcing the former head of state to go back to his hotel room.

The cadres included taxi drivers who parked their vehicles in the middle of the road honking, causing a traffic jam.

Police were immediately deployed on the scene and cleared the way for Dr. Chiluba.

And First republican president, Kenneth Kaunda, has called for peace, as Zambians cast their ballots in Thursday’s Presidential election.

Dr. Kaunda says people should vote freely and ensure peace is maintained before and after the election.

He was speaking after casting his vote at Woodlands A Primary School, in Lusaka Central Constituency.

[ZNBC]

THE Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has said it will start announcing the presidential election results from across the country by tomorrow morning.

ECZ chairperson, Florence Mumba said in Lusaka yesterday that announcements would be done at Mulungushi International Conference Centre (MICC) as the results pour in from the 150 constituencies.

“From totalling centres, the results will be taken to district centres where they will be transmitted electronically and by fax to MICC where the first announcement is expected by tomorrow morning,” Justice Mumba said.

She said national totals stating the winner would only be announced once the results from all the constituencies have been received.

 Justice Mumba said the ECZ wanted to ensure that there was no confusion in the way the results are announced.

The MICC has been designed as the central place where election results from all the districts will be announced and given to the public through the media who will also be at the centre.

“The commission is ready for today’s election. The poll will start at 06.00 hours and close at 18:00 hours. Counting will immediately start at the various polling centres,” Mrs Justice Mumba said.

She said the system of delivering the results was safe because the marked ballots could only be accessed by returning officers at the district level.

Justice Mumba said the aim was to eliminate the chances of tampering with the results while in transit.

“Although this year’s presidential election has been a mammoth task and challenge, the commission will conduct it in transparency and fairness.

“ECZ has come a long way in its preparations and has put in place several measures to enhance transparency and stakeholder confidence in the electoral process,” Justice Mumba said.

She said the establishment of the election results centre was one such measure aimed at enhancing transparency.

And electoral officials from all the provinces said everything was in place for today’s election and assured the voting public that the polls would be conducted in a transparent and fair manner.

Those contesting the presidency are acting President, Rupiah Banda, who is standing on the MMD ticket, and the Patriotic Front leader, Michael Sata.

Others are United Party for National Development president, Hakainde Hichilema, and Heritage Party’s Godfrey Miyanda

[Times of Zambia]

The two major presidential candidates,Rupiah Banda of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy and the Patriotic Front’s Michael Sata have now held their last rallies in Lusaka and campaigning has officially ended..

Mr Banda said he will ensure unity continues to prevail in the country adding that the country should be entrusted with a leader who is not discriminatory.

He said there is need for Zambians to unite with the purpose of fighting challenges such as poverty, illiteracy among others.

Mr Banda said he has vast experience of being a leader and custodian of the country during the illness and subsequent death of the late President Mwanawasa hence the need for Zambians to ensure that he completes the mandate the Zambian people gave to the MMD in 2006.

He said government under his leadership will continue attracting investors in its efforts to uplifting people’s living conditions.
Mr Banda said government intends to turn Zambia into a peaceful rainbow nation and a hub of activities in all sectors of the economy by further attracting investments.

Michael Sata reiterated his pledge to lower taxes and put more money in people’s pockets and tackle Lusaka’s creaking infrastructure.

“There is money for all of you,” Sata said, adding “you have money which they are wasting on other things. That money will come to you,”

PF leader also urged voters to sleep outside polling stations tonight to avoid vote-rigging. “We have to go and check, when you are here they are preparing to rig. You need to go and check each and every station,” he told his supporters.