Zambia's general elections - Voting in Zambia's presidential, parliamentary and local government elections got underway Tuesday at 06.00 hours local time, PANA reports from here. Over five million people registered to vote in the elections being contested by 10 presidential candidates. Edith Nawakwi, president of the Forum for Democracy and Development, is the only woman leader of a political party participating in the elections.

President Rupiah Banda of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD), is seeking a second five-year mandate after serving three years, having been elected in a presidential by-election in 2008 following the death of President Levy Mwanawasa.

Banda faces a real challenge from Michael Sata, the most vocal and strongest opposition leader of the Patriotic Front, the second largest political party in Zambia.

The challenge comes from the obvious fact that Banda had differed with some few key executive members of his party who have since joined Sata’s party and campaigned against Banda.

The ruling MMD has dominated Zambian politics since it won the first multi-party democratic elections in 1991 but observers say there is increasing dissatisfaction with poverty levels in the country.

Since 1996, the opposition had always had more than 55 percent of national vote when combined but their failure to form strong alliance and field one presidential candidate had worked to the advantage of the MMD.

Others contesting Tuesday’s presidential elections are the United Party for National Development Hakainde Hichilema, Heritage Party president General Godfrey Miyanda who once served as vice-president, and Tilyenji Kaunda, president of Zambia’s first ruling party, the United National Independence Party (UNIP).

Others are former Finance Minister Ng’andu Magande of the National Movement for Progress party, former University of Zambia Lecturer in the School of Development Studies, Dr. Frederick Mutesa, who has formed the Zambians for Empowerment and Development Party – ZED, National Restoration Party- NAREP- president Elias Chipimo Junior, and the Alliance for Democracy and Development candidate Charles Milupi.

Voters will Tuesday also elect members of parliament in 148 constituencies from a total of 150. Elections will not take place in two constituencies following the death of one of the aspiring candidates in the two constituencies.

Voting ends Tuesday at 18.00hours local time.

Pana 20/09/2011