UPND supporters in near punch up with ECZ officials in Livingstone

Livingstone District Electoral officer Vivian Chikoti (left) and other electoral officers supervising the offloading of ballot papers and other election materials at the Civic Centre.

THERE was growing tension and near punch-up last night at the Livingstone totalling centre between United Party for National Development (UPND) supporters and electoral officers following the delayed declaration of winning Member of Parliament, Mayor and councillors for Livingstone Constituency.

According ro resuts, UPND won the presidential as well as parliamentary, mayoral and 16 out of 17 wards in the Constituency but only three councillors have so far been declared winners four days the electorates voted.

UPND supporters lost patience and closed the totalling centre with journalists as well as monitors and police officers locked inside the centre as they demanded for announcing and declaration of winners.

It was at this that UPND supporters roughed up and nearly punched some electoral officers while turning chairs upside down and almost destroyed the computer which was transmitting results.

One UPND cadre almost attacked Livingstone District Electoral officer Vivian Chikoti but alert police officers stopped the act as all stakeholders inside the totalling centre were prevented from leaving the premises.

The cadres, who issued a lot of insults to electoral officers, wondered why Livingstone, which only has a single Constituency, was taking four days to conclude the process of announcing and declaring winners.

In response, ECZ assistant returning officer Wezi Manda said the electronic system of verifying results was lengthy and this was why officials were delaying to to announce and declare winners.

After intensified pressure from cadres, ECZ oficials yielded to demands from cadres and started verifying results manually and assured stakeholders that they would speedy up the entire process.

Earlier in the day, UPND supporters raised concern over missing figures on their candidates and the matter was later rectified.