The Ruling MMD in Zambia has assessed that it will emerge victorious in tomorrow’s presidential polls based on alleged political reality on the ground that favours the ruling party. The party’s national outlook assessment predicts that MMD candidate, Rupiah Banda, would obtain between 42 and 46 per cent of the total number of votes, Patriotic Front (PF) leader, Michael Sata, between 31 and 35 per cent and United Party for National Development (UPND) candidate, Hakainde Hichilema, between 16 and 20 per cent.

MMD campaign committee member and former information minister and government spokesman, Vernon Mwaanga, said in a statement issued in Lusaka yesterday that the assessment was between 17-25 October. Speaking on behalf of MMD campaign teams in all the nine provinces of Zambia, Mr. Mwaanga said the assessment was based on the fact that tomorrow’s poll would not be general elections but presidential and had further assumed that the voting pattern of 2006 would only change slightly in most areas.

Meanwhile PATRIOTIC FRONT (PF) president Michael Sata says if elected Republican President in tomorrow’s election, he will write off car loans that government has given chiefs in the country.

Mr. Sata said the car loans would be written off because chiefs did not apply for them. He was speaking at a campaign rally in Lundazi on Monday. He also pledged to give attractive rural hardship allowances to all civil servants working in rural districts. Mr. Sata said civil servants in rural parts of Zambia endured many hardships as compared to their counterparts in towns. He said this was allegedly unrealistic and unaffordable because most agricultural inputs were imported.

Meanwhile, Pangolin Consulting executive director Neo Simutanyi has refuted a media report indicating that his organization conducted an opinion poll which allegedly revealed that Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata was ahead of acting President Rupiah Banda and United Party for National Development (UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema in tomorrow’s presidential poll. But POST managing editor Amos Malupenga yesterday has challenged Pangolin Consulting director Dr Neo Simutanyi to tell the truth about the opinion poll he conducted concerning presidential candidates in tomorrow's election.