Voting starts on positive note in Chipata

Voting has started on a positive
note in Chipata district of Eastern province with most polling
stations recording a favourable turnout of voters.

A check by ZANIS revealed that polling stations had opened at exactly
06:00 hours and people started casting their votes.

Long queues were formed before 06:00 hours at the Council
Chamber in the central business district where by 05:30 hours about 25
people had already lined up and others were spotted in the streets
trooping to various polling stations.

At Navutika market which has a total of 3,588 registered voters with
four streams about 06:30 hours 93 people had cast their vote.

Navutika market presiding officer Emmanuel Banda disclosed that voting
started at exactly 06:00 hours and was going on smoothly with no
incidents.

Meanwhile, at Anoya Zulu polling station 10 out of a total of 733
registered voters had cast their votes by 06:30 hours.

At Kapata welfare hall over 50 people had already lined
up to vote by 06:00 hours at the polling station which has two streams and a total of 1,488
registered voters.

Meanwhile, voting was delayed at Samuel village polling station in
Kwenje ward in Kasenengwa constituency because the vehicles carrying
ballot paper got stuck.

Chipata Electoral Officer Davies Musenge said the road leading to the
polling station was recently washed away by the rains.

Mr. Musenge said vehicles and manpower to reinforce were sent to the
area and that the situation had normalized .

Mr Musenge said by 07:30 hours people had however started voting.