ECZ probes DP candidate vote’s disappearance

By GIDEON NYENDWA

The commission will only give a comprehensive statement to the claims by the losing DP candidate that he got a zero at the polling station where he and his family members voted once it gets full information from the retaining officer, Electoral Commission of Zambia(ECZ) public relations manager Patricia Luhanga has said.

Ms Luhanga said that the commission would not give a statement on the matter until they got the full information and statistics for the polling station.

She said the commission would give its position regarding the claims that were raised by Mr Fred Mubanga the DP losing candidate in the just ended Kabwata by-election.

This came after complaints from Mr Mubanga suggesting that he got a zero from a polling station where he, his family and some party officials voted from.

He said that when the results from Libala secondary school where he voted came out, people who voted for him started calling in shock to why he got a zero when they actually voted for him.

Mr Mubanga expressed worry that if his vote was not counted one would wonder how many of the votes were not counted from other polling stations.

The Kabwata by-election was held on Thursday UPND candidate Andrew Tayengwa emerged victorious after beating his closest contender Clement Tembo of the Patriotic Front (PF).

Mr Tayengwa polled 13,754 against Mr Tembo’s 11,192 votes, while Mr Mubanga only attracted 124 ballots from the 27,677 people who turned out to cast their ballots.

Kabwata constituency has 108,721 registered voters, meaning that the turnout was 25.46 percent, with 157 rejected ballot papers.

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