Voting underway as voters turn out in numbers

Zambians have braved the morning cold and turned up in large numbers to vote in today’s general election which is being held alongside the referendum on the bill of rights.

Long queues and a peaceful atmosphere have characterized most polling stations visited by QFM in the capital Lusaka as people vote for their leaders for the next five years.

Most polling stations opened at exactly 06:00 hours, with voters turning up at some polling stations as early as midnight.

At Mahatma Gandhi School in Mtendere presiding Officer John Banda said people started knocking on the school gate at around midnight to be allowed in to vote.

However, at Chilenje primary school, polling station opened 20 minutes late due to the late arrival of polling agents and monitors.

And according to the presiding officer at Chilenje primary school polling station Chiti Mulenga, more than 200 voters had casted their votes after 9:30 hours.

At Arthur Wina basic school in Chilenje polling station which is part of Kabwata constituency and has a total of 5,918 voters, voting started at 06:07 hours and about 400 people had cast their votes by 09: 30 hours with long queues of voters stretching outside the school to the roadside with Vera Chiluba primary school in Mtendere equally having long queues of voters.

However, most polling stations visited had no queues for those only voting in the referendum.