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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
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| Zambia campaign draws to a close | Zambia campaign draws to a close |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Political leaders in Zambia have been making their final appeals to voters before Thursday's elections. | |
| Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa has held his final rally in Lusaka. He is facing a strong challenge from former minister Michael Sata. | |
| Mr Mwanawasa is seeking a second five-year term and has won praise from donors for his economic policies. | |
| But his main rival has accused the president of selling off Zambia's huge copper deposits to foreign interests. | |
| Lively rallies have been peaceful, but marked by nasty and personal comments. | Lively rallies have been peaceful, but marked by nasty and personal comments. |
| Opinion polls have varied wildly but more recent ones put the incumbent ahead. | Opinion polls have varied wildly but more recent ones put the incumbent ahead. |
| Economy | |
| Speaking on Zambian radio on the eve of polls, Mr Sata, who leads the Patriotic Front, again criticised the government's economic record. | |
| In pics: Preparing to vote | |
| "Zambia used to be a great country - today we are flocking to Zimbabwe to buy margarine, to Malawi to buy diesel," the Patriotic Front leader said on Phoenix radio. | |
| "Our boys who pass school have no jobs. Our doctors who are qualified have no jobs. Nurses who are qualified have no jobs." | |
| Mr Mwanawasa, the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) leader, has criticised his opponent for making rash promises and has been defending his record. | |
| "For the past five years, I have been working carefully not to promise what I and the MMD government could not deliver," he wrote in adverts on Wednesday in newspapers. | |
| "It has been my goal to inspire your confidence in Zambia through solid economic performance rather than mere words. I say to all Zambians: turn away from hatred, false promises and fantasy." | |
| Businessman Hakainde Hichilema, the leader of the United Democratic Alliance which includes former President Kenneth Kaunda's party, is the other high profile candidate expected to secure strong support - especially among the middle classes. | |
| Godfrey Miyanda and Kenny Ngondo are also running for president. | |
| Insults | Insults |
| At his last campaign rally on Tuesday in a Lusaka suburb, Mr Sata reportedly ripped apart a cabbage presented to him by his supporters. | At his last campaign rally on Tuesday in a Lusaka suburb, Mr Sata reportedly ripped apart a cabbage presented to him by his supporters. |
| Levy Mwanawasa's speech is slurred since a horrific car crash | Levy Mwanawasa's speech is slurred since a horrific car crash |
| The cabbage is a reference to Zambia's president who once had a bad car accident which reportedly affected his speech. | The cabbage is a reference to Zambia's president who once had a bad car accident which reportedly affected his speech. |
| "No more cabbage," chanted his supporters, as they waved the vegetables aloft on sticks. | "No more cabbage," chanted his supporters, as they waved the vegetables aloft on sticks. |
| Mr Sata, whose nickname is King Cobra, has been gaining support for a populist campaign in which he has called for "Zambia for Zambians" and criticised the influence of economic partners like China. | Mr Sata, whose nickname is King Cobra, has been gaining support for a populist campaign in which he has called for "Zambia for Zambians" and criticised the influence of economic partners like China. |
| "At the moment we are like refugees in our own country," he said at a rally on Tuesday. | "At the moment we are like refugees in our own country," he said at a rally on Tuesday. |
| In rallies, Mr Mwanawasa has tried to remain above the fray but a prominent supporter of his has been more blunt. | |
| "Don't vote for Satan," ex-union boss Ben Kapita has told Mwanawasa supporters. | "Don't vote for Satan," ex-union boss Ben Kapita has told Mwanawasa supporters. |
| Although two-thirds of Zambia's 11.5m population live on less than a dollar a day, the president has been warning a vote for Mr Sata could seriously damage Zambia's economic recovery - which has been helped rises in the price of copper and large debt write-offs - enabling him to introduce free primary education and health clinics in rural areas. | |
| The BBC's Maureen Nkandu Mundea in Zambia says the general chorus in the country is that people want to see improvements. | The BBC's Maureen Nkandu Mundea in Zambia says the general chorus in the country is that people want to see improvements. |
| They complain about the lack of good affordable education, poor health services, unemployment and abject poverty, she says. | They complain about the lack of good affordable education, poor health services, unemployment and abject poverty, she says. |
| Some four million Zambians are registered to vote in presidential and parliamentary polls, with results expected on Saturday. No partial results are being released. |