Zambia counts votes after close-run polls

LUSAKA - Zambia began tallying ballots on Friday after a huge turnout in close elections fought on President Levy Mwanawasa's economic policies which are praised by the West but have failed to lift millions out of poverty.

Mwanawasa has urged voters to back his record of strict financial discipline and zero tolerance for corruption, policies which have earned Zambia relief from debts and huge praise from the International Monetary Fund and other donors.

Populist challenger Michael Sata has exploited discontent among poor Zambians who say they are being shut out of the country's economic revival. He has promised to both cut taxes and cap foreign ownership of Zambia's huge copper mines.

Different opinion polls have tipped both Mwanawasa and Sata to win, meaning Thursday's vote could be the closest in the huge copper-rich nation since independence from Britain in 1964.

Analysts say Friday's count would be closely watched by voters, who found themselves bitterly divided over the competing visions of Zambia's future advanced by the two main candidates.

Zambia's record of frequent and at times obvious voter fraud will also keep officials on their toes.

Election officials say this year's vote was nearly flawless, except for a few instances, criticised by Sata's Patriotic Front (PF), where voters were erroneously omitted from the registers.

The PF has also questioned certain shipments of ballot papers, opening another possible avenue to challenge results that do not fit the party's expectation of a major victory.

A third candidate in the presidential election, Hakainde Hichilema of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) was endorsed by liberation hero Kenneth Kaunda as the "best man to lead Zambia" but is expected to come third in the race.

The opposition petitioned the Supreme Court asking it to nullify Mwanawasa's 2001 election victory, saying the vote was rigged, but the court dismissed the accusations.

The electoral commission of Zambia (ECZ) introduced a range of measures to try to ensure free and fair elections this time round, including satellite technology to transmit poll results and the use of transparent ballot boxes for the first time.

It is unclear when the winner will be declared. Under a new Zambia electoral law, the media is forbidden from projecting a winner based on partial results, although most poll watchers expect the count to be over by Saturday or Sunday.

Much attention will be on the capital Lusaka and the Copperbelt province, where Sata commands a huge following. Mwanawasa's has looked to rural voters to counter Sata's threat.

- REUTERS