Political parties complain of delayed election results

By Mutale Kremer

Both Political Parties and voters bitterly complained about the slow
pace of releasing results of the national elections that were held on
Tuesday, September 20 and which explicably took long for the Electoral
Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to announce.

But the ECZ said the delay in announcing the election results from
around the country was because of slow information coming through from
constituencies to the official election results totalling centre and
from where the totals were sent to Mulungushi International Conference
Centre in Lusaka.

Throughout Wednesday ECZ Public Relations Manager, Cris Akufuna, kept
repeating the worn out excuse of not having new results that would
enable the Commission to come up with a consolidated result from all
of the 150 constituencies of Zambia.

Mr. Akufuna said the ECZ had by that time received results from some
totalling centres from around the country but that ECZ did not have
the general total results from constituencies.

He kept repeating that the results would only be announced when total
results from a particular constituency were received. But voters and
Members of Political parties were not impressed.

By Thursday morning tempers were so high that disgruntled elements on
the Copperbelt had taken the law into their hands by engaging in
disruptive behaviour and what was later described as ‘riots’.

The towns of Ndola, Kitwe and Mufulira were quickly engulfed in fire
and had it not been for quick action by police the situation would
have gotten out of hand.

It was obvious the nation was not interested in excuses from the ECZ
Officials.  All the people wanted were election results.

And eventually the election monitors (local and international election
observers), civil society organisations, church representatives,
political parties and the local and foreign media at Mulungushi
International Conference Centre and most important of all the anxious
Zambian public, received the full results.

Meanwhile voters at Nakatindi polling station in Kanyama Constituency
(Lusaka) could not be given another chance to vote following the
action of some of them which resulted in ballot papers being burnt on
polling day.

Mr. Akufuna announced then that the only voters that would be allowed
to vote were those in polling stations that did not receive their
ballot papers by September 20.

Three polling stations were affected in Lukulu West (Western Province)
where the vehicle that was delivering ballot papers was involved in an
accident.

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