BY-ELECTIONS UPDATE BY GEARS
GEARS Initiative has been monitoring the ongoing by elections in 17 wards and 3 district by-elections being conducted by the Electoral commission of Zambia-ECZ.
The update is based on the reports so far filed by its monitors in the selected wards and districts across the country.
CHIKOMA WARD which has only 3 polling station, in Luangwa district in Lusaka Province recorded the following updates as filed in by our monitor in the ward that at chitope local court polling station vote cast was 100 out of 403 registered voters at around 08:25. At Kalinkumbula polling station, 108 out of 199 registered voters had voted at the time and in Manyenda polling station, 89 vote were cast out 482 registered voters.
CHIKOMA WARD by-election electoral situation is very calm as voters are very free to do their business and only party argents are the only ones following the election process in all the three polling stationns in addition to GEARS Initiative.
However, the ward voter turnout improved by lunchtime with kalinkumbula polling station recording 108 votes cast while the Local Court polling station stood at 159 with
Manyenda 162 by 10:28 hrs. The situation still calm in all three polling stations. Voters are still in the line in manyenda polling station but local court and kalinkumbula they are coming in trickles i.e. one at a time
The situation is still calm no anyone is making political noise and all the participating political parties are just roving from one polling station to another without any noise.
However, no Media has been noticed in the ward including Zanis but the party argents from PF, Socialist party and UPND are present in the three polling stations.
By afternoon around 15:00, chikoma Ward’s
Chitope local court registered voters 403 vote cast 196 while Kalinkumbula registered voters 199 vote cast 130 with Manyenda registered voters 482 vote cast 276 the situation continued to be still and calm while voters trickle one at the time.
In Mkushi for the Mkushi District Council Chairperson by-election, the turn out of voters is very low as at 10:30 with those who came to vote came in the morning and many voted.
For instance, in Bwacha where they are more than 2000 voters only 621 have voted by midday.
In Mwense where there is also district chairperson by-election, there is low voter turn out prresumably due to serious voter intimidation by political cadres.
For instance, at musonda poling station, some voters were being chased away by cadres on alligations of being from another named neighboring country.
Though having legal documents necessary for them to cast the vote, the cadres intimidated them. However, QUICK police move in to control the situation has calmed the situation.
Another incident in Mwense is where a truckload of mealie meal believed to be for named party was intercepted by cadres from the rival party and has been impounded the security men and women. The mealie meal is believed to have been for distribution to voters as a motivation for them to vote for the owner of the mealie-meal’ s candidate.
In Senga Hill update from our monitor it is being reported that the voter turnout is alsobvery low.
At the three polling stations visited in the morning, low voter turn out was reported esp at Kalila Primary school which has three stations no queue was observed forming at 08:34 and at Senga Hill secondary too electorates were just coming one at a time.
These areas in Senga Hill are semi- cosmopolitan in the district but the turn out is too low perhaps an indication of yesterday’s meetings held by political parties to which attending crowds were very small. Senga Hill has so far not recorded any violence and voting is very peaceful.
Elsewhere in with ward, other poling stations are also reportedly peaceful
Characterised by voter apathy.
In Lusangazi district of Eastern Province, where a district chairperson by election also taking place, the area is very peaceful but there ie very low turnup almost in every polling station. By end of morning not more than 20% of registered voters turnout to vote.
However, the fracas at PASME radio in Petauke where a journalist was assaulted by suspected ruling party cadres who where incensed by the program on the distribution of fertiliser in the district had nothing to do with Lusangazi which is an independent DISTRICT.
GEARS Initiative appeals for peace and calm in all the by-election areas further condemning the assaulting of the PASME radio staff and other reported incidents of confrontations.
We implore the Police to swiftly bring to book such individuals violating the presidential call for all citizens to respect the work of the media in Zambia
Issued by
Mcdonald Chipenzi
Executive director
GEARS Initiative
4/11/2022.