BISHOPS COUNCIL WARNS UPND AGAINST POLITICAL VIOLENCE AHEAD OF AUGUST ELECTIONS
The Bishops Council of Zambia has warned the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) against tolerating acts of violence, harassment, and intimidation targeting independent candidates and opposition political parties ahead of the August elections.
Council President Bishop Martin Silwamba said Zambians rejected the culture of cadreism and political thuggery and called on the ruling party to take a firm stance against lawlessness.
Speaking in an interview with Sun FM TV News, Bishop Silwamba condemned recent attacks involving independent candidates and other electoral stakeholders.
He urged the Zambia Police Service to swiftly investigate the incidents and ensure that all perpetrators are brought to book.
Meanwhile, the Council President has appealed to youths not to allow themselves to be used as tools of violence by politicians, stressing that there is life after politics.
His remarks follow a series of incidents in which suspected UPND cadres allegedly attacked independent candidates while attempting to block them from filing their nominations in Lusaka, Mazabuka, and Chavuma.
The latest incident involved an aspiring independent parliamentary candidate in Lusaka’s Munali Constituency, who was allegedly nearly stoned by suspected UPND cadres during a community rally where he was addressing his supporters.
By: Thomas Afroman Mwale