By Sara Imutowana Yeta II
ESSAU CHULU IS A THREAT TO PEACE
The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) under Esau Chulu has no capacity to manage free and fair elections in 2021.
Keep in mind that it is Chulu in 2016 who announced cooked results for Lundazi constituency where Lungu was given 29, 979 and Hichilema 4, 975 that is 34, 954 for these two only minus results for other candidates. Yet the total number of valid votes cast was 29, 741.
This means that Lungu alone got more votes than the valid number of votes.
This disgrace is only possible under unethical and incompetent leadership.
Unashamedly, Chulu changed the numbers and gave Lungu 21, 979 and Hichilema 4,975.
Therefore, about 8000 votes were removed from Lungu’s total for Lundazi constituency.
There were also disputed votes from several places such as Chingola and Mandevu.
It was under Chulu’s nose that Samuel Chavula was seen several times entering the computer verification room collecting provisional results.
Chavula was confronted and found with an ECZ host official accreditation card which he was using to enter the restricted area.
He was arrested and upon interrogation he confessed that he was given the official accreditation by ECZ.
Chavula was supervised by then ECZ Head of Information Technology (IT) Brown Kasaro who admitted having facilitated for Chavula’s accreditation on Priscilla Mulenga Isaac’s order.
A few months ago, former Patriotic Front (PF) deputy elections chairperson Kelvin Fube Bwalya told the nation that Chavula was a PF agent hired to manipulate elections results.
All these electoral misdemeanours happened because Chulu has a dead sense of what is right and wrong in his electoral duties.
He also lacks integrity to adhere to electoral rules.
Therefore, to expect free and fair elections next year managed by Chulu who lacks integrity and conscience is insane.
Albert Einstein said that insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results.
Is this not exactly what we want to do next year; go to the polls chaired by a morally broke person and expect credible elections results?
In simple terms, the 2016 elections were disputed because of the weaknesses in the electoral process with Chulu as a key player.
Chulu supposed to make ECZ a standard feature promoting free and fair elections but has made the commission synonymous to elections marred by fraud and incompetence.
If what happened in 2016 will happen again next year, we are likely to have anarchy in this country. We will kick the shit out of electoral fraudsters.
Already, there reports that Chulu is doing some underground work to ensure that the opposition does not win the 2021 elections.
It is also reported that Lungu will not hand over power even if he loses the elections.
This does come as a surprise because in 2016 he refused to step aside for the Speaker of the National Assembly in the face of a petition challenging his election as president.
Wisdom holds that when unpleasant things are said about someone or something, there is a good reason for it because there is no smoke without fire.
If we want free and fair elections, we should demand for good electoral practices.
The first thing we need to do is to establish an independent and impartial electoral commission. A commission able to act as a referee during elections. This is one sure way of making the commission’s independence and impartiality to enhance citizen’s confidence in the process.
We need an electoral commission able to act in a transparent manner and engage with all actors involved in elections.
Let us also put in place measures to ensure that non-partisan domestic and foreign election observers provide impartial assessment of the electoral process.
We do not want a situation where international elections observers prematurely announce that elections are free and fair when there is abundant evidence of electoral fraud.
We therefore demand for credibility from the international elections observers in assessing the legitimacy of the elections.
It is important that State media provides balanced coverage of all candidates and parties.
Countrymen and women, we need civil society to be active in issues ranging from voter education to the promotion of election dialogue and initiatives to defuse conflicts.
The current civil society groups leave much to be desired.
We have seen in the past the police failing to carry out their responsibility to maintain public order during by-elections.
There is need for the police to remain neutral by upholding and enforcing the law, creating a safe and secure electoral environment for all people regardless of their political affiliation.
During by-elections it has also become a common happening where Lungu interferes with opposition leaders’ campaign programmes by visiting places they are scheduled to visit.
We need a situation in which competing political parties and candidates show willingness to conduct themselves peacefully and fairly. Lungu must set a tone of tolerance, respect and co-existence for the elections process.
Without genuine electoral reforms, it will be difficult to set the stage for elections next year that are inclusive, transparent and accountable to citizens.
It will also be difficult for people to have confidence in the election process and