HERE IS HOW PF CANNOT WIN THE ELECTION WITHOUT RIGGING IT
The Candidates’ Morning Comment
The manipulation of the 2021 elections by the ruling party began with issuance of National Registration Cards (NRC) by the Ministry of Home Affairs and subsequently, the voter registration exercise by the Electoral Commision of Zambia(ECZ).
Few NRCs were issued in regions where the opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) is believed to be strong. And this was followed by a very discredited registration of voters by ECZ where the same regions which saw few registration of NRCs recorded drastic reduction of registered voters. Ironically, all regions where the Patriotic Front (PF) is strong received increased registration of NRCs and voters. This is not a usual occurrence but a well calculated scheme by the ruling party in partnership with the Ministry of Home Affairs and ECZ. There is no tangible explanation by anyone in Government at the Ministry of Home Affairs and indeed ECZ to explain why numbers have reduced in certain regions and why they have increased in others. They simply do not have any scientific explanation to back their fraud.
However, when you look at the registered voters per province, it is clear that this election is the most difficult one on the part of PF. At the moment, no one is buying their claim that they must be retained in power on the premise of delivering infrastructure development. They may have built a few things here and there but those things have not translated into improved living standards for majority Zambians. This is so because as they built those empty structures throughout the country, in the process, they stole large amounts of taxpayers money through tendering, kick-backs, corruption and over-pricing. Over 80% of the total costs of all the projects PF has undertaken have ended up in the pockets of a few highly corrupt criminals, jackals in Zambia. And by extension, crumbs of that corruption have landed in the pockets of their sycophants, political tse-tse flies in the name of cadres who are busy chanting alebwelelapo.
Huge debts accumulated by PF, whose principal and interest repayment is the burden of the poor through the taxes they pay on a daily basis has further enslaved Zambians. This is the basis of problems for PF. They have no good explanation to give why the cost of living in Zambia is high if at all there exists any working relationship between their corrupt infrastructure development program and improved lives for Zambians.
As things stand, the PF have lost grip in Lusaka Province. In previous elections, the PF controlled this province with about 15% against the UPND. Currently, they do not have control of Lusaka and will not get over 30% of votes. Again, the same way they have lost grip in Lusaka is the same way they will not win in the Copperbelt.
When you look at the voting pattern of Zambia since the 2006 elections, voter apathy has been very high in Northern, Luapula, Eastern and Muchinga provinces. Currently, these may form some imaginary stronghold for PF but even there, we all know that there is nothing that will make voters turn up in numbers and cast votes in these provinces, especially now that they are more hungry than they were during the previous elections. We also know that the voting pattern in Southern, Western, Northwestern and Central provinces where the main opposition UPND has huge control, have higher voting patterns than the regions where PF think they still have control.
Even though the numbers of registered voters have been manipulated, things do not look so good for the ruling party. When you go to Eastern province, the PF has no tangible influence there. They lost a by-election in Petauke where President Edgar Lungu comes from. Look at the results in Kamimba ward in Lumezi as well as the Vubwi by-election. The difference of votes between PF and UPND is not something one can say is indication that the ruling party still controls a very huge part of that region.
We dare say- and we believe we are not far from the truth – that the PF will not win in Lusaka. They will not win in the Copperbelt and they have lost a significant share of the Central province where they had a good number of votes previously. This is so because voters in urban areas and along the rail are more conscious than those in rural areas who can be manipulated through vote buying. The PF’s pattern of campaigns shows it that they are more concerned with rural votes.
We must point out too that, the fact that PF has lost ground in Lusaka and Copperbelt is not suggesting that UPND has gained automatically. There are many voters who are undecided who need convincing. Anyone at the moment can still get those undecided voters including the PF. At the moment, the PF are doing so much strategy to win those numbers more than the UPND and all other parties. However, there is every reason to believe that PF will not win these elections without rigging. -The Candidates