ZAMBIAN ELECTIONS: MINOR GLITCHES, BUT GENERALLY ORDERLY,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LUSAKA 001340 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV ASEC CASC ZA SUBJECT: ZAMBIAN ELECTIONS: MINOR GLITCHES, BUT GENERALLY ORDERLY, PEACEFUL, SLOW ... AND A BIG TURNOUT ¶1. (U) Voting in the September 28 Zambian national tripartite (presidential, parliamentary, municipal) elections has been for the most part orderly, peaceful, and transparent throughout the first three-quarters of the balloting. Some voting stations, especially in rural areas, opened an average of one hour late. A few polling centers opened up to three hours late, due to the late arrival of voting supplies, such as stamps and ink. Although there has been some grumbling about the long lines early in the day, international election observers report that voters have generally accepted the delays, and waited patiently in line. In most places, monitors described a fairly organized and transparent process, no presence of campaign materials at the voting stations, and an unobtrusive police presence. The chief complaint appears to be that the voting process is slow and that some voters who arrived as early as 4:00 a.m. to get in line (polling stations were scheduled to open at 6:00) waited for up to five hours to cast their ballots. ¶2. (U) According to monitors, a very small number of voters at selected polling stations (such as the City Library and Chawama in Lusaka) have been turned away from the polls, because local election officials could not find them on the voter rolls. Officials properly told these voters to go to the Election Commission of Zambia (ECZ). Some have refused to do so, complaining that they had already waited in line for up to four hours. At the City Library station, of 3,300 registered voters, only eight had been turned away as of 2 p.m. These voters created a disturbance that was reported on the local radio station "Radio Phoenix". Monitors report that Patriotic Front presidential candidate Michael Sata toured the City Library polling station after the disturbance had ended. ¶3. (U) Reports from observers throughout the country indicate that turnout appears to be large, with many voters arriving at the polls early in the morning. Monitors reported that at many of the smaller stations, at least 50 percent of the registered voters had already voted by noon. An Embassy monitor reported that at one polling station in Southern Province, over 400 of their 486 registered voters had voted by early afternoon. Victoria polling station, also in Southern province, reported to monitors that as of 9 a.m., 200 of 
their 719 registered voters had already voted, and another 200 were in line to vote. Some monitors at larger polling stations reported that voting was slowed due to a lack of voting officials or sufficient material (such as stamps),and voting officials were not able to open more polling "streams" to handle the heavy turnout. One monitor reported that a polling station he visited had only opened one stream, rather than the planned three streams, because they only had one tent for the polling stations. By midday, some of the voters who had been in line for up four hours had gone home without voting due to the slow lines, and monitors were unsure if they would return later in the day to try again. ¶4. (U) Local media reports seem to reflect this trend. QFM Radio reported that by midday 300 of the 700 registered voters had already voted at one station, but the station also aired pleas from callers who requested the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) extend the voting period past the scheduled 6:00 p.m. closing time because some polling stations opened late. ZNBC radio also reported similar requests from their listeners. Radio Phoenix reported that there was a "near riot" at Mtendere "B" primary school because the polls opened almost two hours late, reporting that irate voters deflated the tires of a parked car. (Note: Post cautions that these are unconfirmed local media reports, and that the radio stations are also reporting that most polling is orderly and peaceful. End note.) According to the final ECZ briefing before the elections, polling stations which opened late will remain open past the scheduled 6:00 p.m. closure, to compensate for lost voting time. ¶5. (U) Ambassador toured several voting stations as an accredited observer. She noted that special-needs voters, including elderly, handicapped, and illiterate voters, have been treated with respect and courtesy, and that polling officials have gone out of their way to assist these voters. Ambassador visited a remote polling station, where long lines of voters were waiting patiently to cast their ballots. Officials at this station were particularly well organized, and voting proceeded smoothly. ¶6. (U) There have been no reports of violence associated with the balloting. Embassy RSO reports no major security concerns at this time. Peace Corps Volunteer Leaders in all six provincial houses report that all is calm in their areas. All USG facilities, including the Public Affairs Section in the downtown area, are unaffected by the polling. There have been no reports of any incidents involving private American citizens. ¶7. (SBU) Comment: The generally smooth voting throughout the day reflects the ECZ's careful preparations for the elections. The few scattered reports of glitches - such as some polling stations opening up to an hour late because there was no ink to mark voters' fingers - only serves to highlight the calm, orderly, and peaceful balloting that occurred throughout most of the country. Party activists do not appear to be influencing voters as they head into the polling stations. However, the real test for the conduct of the LUSAKA 00001340 002 OF 002 elections will be the counting of the votes (to begin after polling stations close tonight); the transmission of results to the main Elections Results center in Lusaka; and the reaction of political parties when the results are announced. It is too early to predict when the final results will be transmitted by the ECZ to the Supreme Court for certification, but some reports indicate that results might be ready by late Friday or early Saturday. MARTINEZ