Conducting 9 parliamentary by-elections suicidal – Phiri
By Richard Luo in Sinda (The Mast )
SINDA PF information and publicity secretary Boston Phiri says declaring nine parliamentary seats vacant is suicidal to the nation.
On Wednesday, Second Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Moyo declared nine PF parliamentary seats vacant.
But Phiri said conducting nine by elections will require huge sums of money which the treasury does not have.
“As members of Patriotic Front we are not happy about it. There are several factors that make us not to be happy. Zambia was declared a hunger state and if government can allow these unnecessary expenditure that nine members of parliament have their seats nullified (declared vacant) now according to our information, one by-election will cost about K1.5 million, and nine of them will be about K30 million. Now, all these chunks of money will be spent on a by-election,” he wondered. “What is it that the government is doing when people are sleeping hungry, when people have no food, when people are struggling to get their food; yet government is allowing these unnecessary by-elections?”
Phiri said government could have avoided what he termed costly and unnecessary by-elections..
“Conducting by-elections to us is a suicide to the entire nation because Zambia has no capacity to conduct by-elections the way it has happened. As long PF candidates will be allowed to file in their nomination papers then we are going to retain the seats because the situation on the ground is known. Who doesn’t know that people are sleeping hungry, who doesn’t know that people are not happy with UPND,’’ said Phiri. ‘’The Zambian people are not happy, that’s the reason why they already made up their decision to see to it that UPND doesn’t continue with its mandate in 2026.”
During PF criminals you had more than 1000 bye -election stop pretending
What suicide is this goon talking about? We should stop sending grade twos to Parliament. This is democracy. It’s expensive. If it was PF in power declaring UPND seats vacant this brigand would be dancing and ululating. Shame on you pig.
Seems everyone is scared of their own shadow? We were told we would be a country of laws. Let the law work.
It’s your pf that has caused the by elections. The government has nothing to do with the expulsions of the pf mps. You gad enough time to sort out your issues but typical of the pf you want blame someone else. The bye elections is an opportunity for your pf to gauge whether you still have a bit of support
Chikala