By CATHERINE NYIRENDA and PERPETUAL SICHIKWENKWE –

THE Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has suspended the announcement of presidential election results until today after 10:00 hours.
This is to allow people who were still voting in 51 polling stations, where the Commission had difficulties delivering election materials, to vote without being influenced by the announcement of the results from other constituencies.
ECZ chairperson Irene Mambilima said during a media briefing at Mulungushi International Conference Centre that the announcement of results would only resume once voters in the 51 polling stations had finished voting.
“As you are aware about 51 polling stations around the country are still voting. To avoid influencing their decisions, we have decided to suspend the announcement of results until tomorrow (today) at 10:00 hours.
“We are optimistic that by then, all polling stations would have completed voting, as you are aware bad weather has hindered distribution of ballot boxes to these areas,” Ms Justice Mabilima said.
Some of the places where voting only started yesterday include Petauke and Chama North and South in Eastern Province, Mafinga in Muchinga Province, Mitete and Lukulu in Western Province, Katuba in Central Province, Rufunsa in Lusaka and Kaputa in Northern Province.
She warned those disseminating unconfirmed votes through the parallel voter tabulation (PVT) systems that they risked being arrested because it was a crime to do so.
It was wrong for political parties to start celebrating that they had won the election when only the ECZ is mandated to publish official results and subsequently announce the winner.
Ms Justice Mambilima reiterated her call for political parties and other stakeholders to desist from premature celebrations when the official results were not yet confirmed.
She said the 51 polling stations that were yet to vote had approximately 21,337 voters.
Ms Justice Mambilima advised political parties to take their celebrations to their camps, saying anyone celebrating without official results from ECZ, which is mandated by the law to announce results, would face consequences.
On concerns by the United Party for National Development president Hakainde Hichilema that his party had been denied rights to use a helicopter to monitor elections where voting was still taking place,
Ms Justice Mambilima said the Commission had intervened and the party had since been allowed to use the helicopter.