UPND PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, HAKAINDE HICHILEMA HAS TAKEN AN EARLY LEAD

By press time most PVT indications pointed to a Hakainde lead. The lead is attributed to theresonance that the mantra for change struck with the ravage that Covid-19 has wreaked with the economy. Unconfirmed PVT pointed to a UPND lead because of victories on the Copperbelt and Lusaka, previously known to be PF strongholds. Electorates have however been warned to refrain from declaring victory as only the Elector- al Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has the mandate to do so with verified results. Both ECZ and the Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP) have cautioned political parties to desist from premature celebrations when verified results are not yet announced. ECZ Chief Electoral Officer Patrick Nshindano issued the warning in Lusaka yesterday where the announcement of results was halted as UPND demanded that their concerns be attended to.Confusion erupted yesterday at the totaling center at Mulungushi when UPND chairperson for elections, Gary Nkombo disrupted the commission before it could announce election results from Feira constituency in Luangwa district, Lusaka province.Mr Nkombo and other stakeholders from other political parties objected to the results from Feira that the commission was about to announce.Mr Nkombo said the results were not accurate and needed to be consolidated with ECZ before they could be made official.The commission led by its chairperson Justice Esau Chu- lu had convened at about 16: 45 to give the first update but it was interrupted for clarifi- cation.Mr Nkombo and others protested that the results from Feira constituency where pending approval because the commission had not consolidated the results with political party representatives.The commission had to retreat to seek audience with the political parties and some stakeholders to address the matter that had been raised.And FODEP Executive Di- rector George Chimembe appealed to the political party leaders to urge their support- ers to immediately cease pre- mature celebrations.He said if left unchecked the celebrations could cause chaos if verified results do not meet the expectations of the political party celebrating electoral victory.Mr Chimembe said ECZ must be given the space to work and deliver results of Thursday’s general elections.He urged stakeholders to halt publishing of Parallel Vot- er Tabulation (PVT) and let the electoral body announce verified election results.Mr Chimembe said an- nouncing election results is the sole mandate of the ECZ and not any other organisa- tion.A PF official Lemmy Bwalya however said Mr Nkombo was deliberately inciting anarchy in the country by creating an impression that there was something fishy happening behind the curtains of ECZ.Mr Bwalya said Mr Nkom- bo should be chucked out of the results centre because his unbecoming behaviour risked inciting pandemonium in the country.“Nkombo is deliberately trying to incite people to rise by creating an impression that there was something fishy going on when in fact not,” he said