Zambians vote for president, opposition claims rigging

LUSAKA - Zambians began voting for a successor to the late President Levy Mwanawasa yesterday in a hotly contested election and the main opposition leader accused the ruling party of rigging the vote.

A senior intelligence official said troops would be placed on high alert after the close of voting to prevent unrest, though campaigning in the stable and increasingly prosperous southern African nation has been peaceful.

The winner faces the formidable task of matching Mwanawasa's strong record of fiscal discipline, praised by Western donors, and of cracking down on corruption. Mwanawasa died from a stroke in August after leading Zambia out of an economic slump.

Acting President Rupiah Banda, a prominent businessman with wide government experience, has campaigned as a steady hand who can keep Mwanawasa's business-friendly policies going in the world's 10th largest copper producer. His main challenger Michael Sata, leader of the opposition Patriotic Front, portrays himself as a champion of the poor.

Sata, voting in the capital Lusaka, reiterated claims he first made two weeks ago that the ruling Movement for Multi- Party Democracy planned to rig the vote. "I have never seen this type of panicking and this is because they have rigged the election. They have rigged the election in favour of Rupiah Banda.

It is the first time that the army commander who is supposed to protect people, is predicting violence," Sata said. The army chief said on Wednesday that election-related violence would not be tolerated. Polling stations opened as scheduled at 6 a.m., with some voters in Lusaka lining up several hours early.

There was a light police presence in and around the capital ahead of the voting. "From what is going on, the turnout is going to be very good. There is a lot of interest generated in this election and some people were here as early as 3:30 a.m.," said Patrick Chokochani, 46, a presiding officer at a polling station in the city.

But there were complaints that voter registration cards were missing in at least one polling station. The polls closed yesterday at 6 pm and results are expected today.