MARK SIMUUWE SAYS UPND HAS BECOME A NATIONAL PARTY WITH REPRESENTATION ACROSS ALL 10 PROVINCES
UPND Media Director Mark Simuuwe says the United Party for National Development (UPND) has become the only political party, after the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD), to win parliamentary seats in all 10 provinces of Zambia.
Mr Simuuwe says the UPND’s emergence as a truly national political party is a result of years of hard work, organisation and persistence, rather than a product of political chance.
He said the party’s growth demonstrated the extent to which it had expanded beyond its traditional strongholds to establish a presence across the country.
Mr Simuuwe said the UPND in its humbles beginnings at one point had only two Members of Parliament, Charles Kakoma for Zambezi and Stephen Katuka for Mwinilunga, both in North-Western Province
He said the party had since grown substantially under the leadership of President Hakainde Hichilema, moving from 27 MPs when Mr Hichilema took over the leadership to more than 140 MPs.
“From the time President Hakainde Hichilema assumed the leadership of the UPND, he has grown the party from 27 MPs to over 140 MPs,” Mr Simuuwe said.
He said the party now had parliamentary representation in Central, Western, Lusaka, Copperbelt, Luapula, Northern, Muchinga, Eastern and North-Western provinces, among others.
He pointed to the political history of President Hichilema, who made several attempts to contest the presidency before eventually winning the 2021 election, saying the party had experienced electoral setbacks without resorting to insurrection to gain power.
Mr Simuuwe said there was therefore no justification for political actors to attempt to ascend to power through violence or bloodshed and further called for a thorough investigation into a militia allegedly found in possession of high-grade military weapons, saying the matter should be treated seriously.
UPND MT