Maravi

Turnout in Kanchibiya poll impresses electoral officer

Turnout in Kanchibiya poll impresses electoral officer
By Chibaula Silwamba in Mpika
Wednesday October 15, 2008 [04:00]

VOTING started on a good note in the Kanchibiya parliamentary by-election yesterday with several people queuing up early in the morning to cast their vote. In a telephone interview from one of the polling stations in the constituency, Mpika district electoral officer Gilbert Bwembya said his tour of the polling stations showed that several people started casting their vote at the stipulated starting time of 06:00 hours.

"The response is very good in all the polling stations where I have been to," Bwembya said. "According to a report I got at Chafye and Mpepo polling stations, people started queuing up before 06:00 hours."

He said the response of voters was encouraging and hoped the number of people casting their vote would increase later in the day.

"I have been to polling stations along Kasama road; I was at Chakopo and as at 06:15 hours when I was there, 18 people had cast their vote.

At Mikuba Basic School polling station, I was there at 07:20 hours, by that time 21 people had cast their vote. At Muntu wa Ntanga I was there at 07:30 hours and by that time, 18 people had already cast their vote. I was at Kavulamwiko at 08:00 hours and by that time 23 people had cast their vote. At 08:30 hours, I was at Chafye polling station where 70 people had already cast. The last polling station I went to was Mpepo at 09:45 hours where 119 people had cast their vote by that time," said Bwembya in an interview around midday yesterday.

"I expect the number of voters to increase later in the day."
He observed that some people might have gone to work in the field in the morning and were expected to vote yesterday afternoon.

"Generally the situation is okay and all the centres have security people. We have not received any adverse reports from all the centres that I have reached," said Bwembya.
The Kanchibiya parliamentary seat fell vacant following the death of Patriotic Front (PF) member of parliament Albert Kanyanyamila.

The election was being contested by independent candidate Selicious Mukate, PF's Davies Mwango, United Party for National Development (UPND)'s Emmanuel Mulenga and ruilng MMD's Judith Kang'oma Kapijimpanga.

Labels: ELECTIONS

posted by MrK @ 5:11 AM