Zambia can be proud of the ECZ – now we have to wait patiently for the result!
The British High Commissioner James Thornton has issued the following statement following yesterday's elections in Zambia. He said:
British High Commissioner James Thornton
“A large number of British High Commission staff observed the elections yesterday across the country. I personally did observation in part of Lusaka. And we have compared notes with other Embassies doing observation.
“My colleagues and I have been enormously impressed by the professionalism of the Electoral Commission of Zambia. From what we saw, the presiding officers and other staff in the polling stations did an excellent job. This was recognised by the party agents and domestic observers to whom we spoke at the polling stations which we visited. They reported few problems.
“I note that the statement this morning by the Christian Churches Monitoring Group is also very complimentary about the conduct of the election.
“I believe that Zambia can be truly proud of the ECZ. Obviously the weather has created significant logistical challenges for the ECZ. It seems to us that they are addressing these appropriately, including by arranging for voting today in some areas.
“They have said that the final result may not be declared until Friday or later. We will all need to be patient and to remain calm until they are able to do so.”