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Saturday, 30 September 2006, 20:35 GMT 21:35 UK
<a name="startcontent"></a>
<h2>Zambian presidential race narrows</h2>


<!-- S BO --><!-- S BO -->
<!-- S IIMA -->
	

	
		<img height="152" hspace="4" align="left" vspace="4" border="0" width="203" alt="Election officials count votes" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42145000/jpg/_42145886_counting203bap.jpg" />
	
<!-- E IIMA -->
<!-- S SF -->
<B>Zambia's incumbent president is closing on his main rival as the counting of ballots from Thursday's poll continues.</B>
<P>
President Levy Mwanawasa of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy has done well in rural areas, but his rival Michael Sata still maintains a lead.
<P>
Mr Sata of the Patriotic Front has warned of "ghastly consequences" if electoral fraud is detected.
<P>
The electoral commission's handling of the poll was praised by international observers as efficient and transparent.
<!-- E SF -->
<P>
But the commission has also come under increasing criticism for the slow pace of result announcements.
<P>
Its chairwoman, Ireen Mambilima, said Mr Mwanawasa had clinched landslide wins in central and eastern Zambia, while Mr Sata continued to score highly in the mineral-rich Copperbelt province.
<P>
<b>Parliamentary poll</b>
<P>
Zambia has a total of four million registered voters, and officials said turnout for Thursday's election was high.
<P>

<!-- S IIMA -->
	

	
		<img height="152" hspace="4" align="left" vspace="4" border="0" width="203" alt="Voting in Palabana village, 31km outside Lusaka, Zambia" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42139000/jpg/_42139108_votingapbody.jpg" />
	
<!-- E IIMA -->
After the counting of about one million votes, Mr Sata had won a share of about 39%, with Mr Mwanawasa on 32%.
<P>
Hakainde Hichilema of the United Democratic Alliance, a wealthy businessman popular with the middle class, was on 27%.
<P>
In the parallel parliamentary poll, the electoral commission said Mr Sata's party had won 26 out of the 49 constituencies that had already reported. Zambia has a total of 150 constituencies.
<P>
Mr Mwanawasa's campaign for a second and final five-year term was based on his strong economic record.
<P>
He and his backers have boasted about steady economic growth and success in getting most of the country's foreign debt written off.
<P>
But opposition supporters say ordinary people have yet to feel the affects of the economic reforms - the revival in the crucial copper sector is slow, unemployment is high and there is concern over health and education standards. 
<P>
Mr Sata has vowed to secure a more equitable distribution of wealth.
<P>
<P><!-- E BO --><!-- E BO --><br>

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        <b>RELATED INTERNET LINKS</b><br />
        
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            <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/focusonafrica/news/cluster/2006/09/060911_zambia_elex.shtml">Focus on Africa: Zambia 2006</a><br />
                    	
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