ZAMBIA: An emotional president Levy Mwanawasa yesterday urged Zambians to back him for another five-year term, saying they should ignore opponents' "sugar-coated lies" and hold true to his pro-development, anti-corruption platform.
In a final campaign rally in Lusaka before today's elections, President Mwanawasa said his chief challenger, Popular Front leader Michael Sata, was tricking voters with elaborate promises of tax cuts and improved services that he could never deliver.
Mr Sata, a fiery populist who has poured scorn on President Mwanawasa's record and questioned his state of health, drew many thousands more supporters at his final Lusaka rally on Tuesday, where party paraphernalia was limited to tiny home-made hats fashioned out of newspaper advertisements.
Mr Sata has promised to cut taxes for most Zambians and "chase out" Chinese and other foreign firms accused of exploiting Zambian workers, particularly in the country's copper mines. His rallying cry - "They are infesters, not investors" - regularly draws huge cheers at opposition rallies.
Public opinion polls have been divided on whether President Mwanawasa or Mr Sata will emerge victorious in today's polls, which are open to some four million voters in the copper-rich southern African country of 11½ million people.
A third candidate, Hakainde Hichilema of the United Democratic Alliance, also has wide support, but analysts expect him to come a distant third. - (Reuters)