PF BOYCOTTS ECZ BRIEFING IN LUNGA DISTRICT
…citing allegations of electoral malpractice by UPND in transportation of ballot papers for Itala Ward by-election
LUNGA, Tuesday January 17, 2023 [Smart Eagles]
The opposition Patriotic Front (PF) in Lunga District of Luapula Province has boycotted an all stakeholders briefing by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) scheduled to take place at the local District Administration this afternoon.
The briefing was called by ECZ to brief political parties and other stakeholders pertaining to the holding of the upcoming Itala ward by-election slated for Friday 20th January, 2022.
But the PF in the area said they were not going to participate in the briefing following the allegations of electoral malpractice regarding the transportation process of ballot papers to the area.
The party said it has information that the process of transporting ballot papers for Friday’s by-election was taken over by the ruling UPND with ECZ relegated to only playing a minor role of escorting the papers instead of taking the lead as mandated by law.
And area Member of Parliament Hon Chanda Katotobwe said it was unheard of in the history of Zambia for the transportation process of election ballot papers to be led by a political party.
Hon Katotobwe said this when he led other PF senior members who included three other PF Members of Parliament Hon Emmanuel Tembo (Feira), Hon Golden Mwila (Mufulira) and Hon Fube Mulenga (Chilubi) in campaigning for the party’s candidate Borniface Chalwe.
“The information that the UPND took over the transportation of ballot papers from Lusaka to Samfya all the way into Lunga district is disappointing on the part of ECZ,” he said.
Hon Katotobwe said he is disappointed with ECZ for not involving the PF as a major stakeholder in observing the movement of the ballot papers but allowed the UPND to take over the whole process.
He said the party wants the election to be free and fair in all aspects hence it cannot be part of the briefing which suggests connivance between the ECZ and the UPND to rig the elections in favor of the ruling party.
Hon Katotobwe has since challenged the UPND to level the playing field if their claims of being popular in the PF’s stronghold could be substantiated instead of using underhand methods that are not only undermining the credibility of the electoral body but also detrimental to the growth of democracy which the country has enjoyed over the years.
And Hon Katotobwe led the campaign trail to the District Administration to raise his concerns with the District Commissioner over the incompetences of the electoral body.
The Luapula lawmaker expressed disappointment that ECZ has done nothing to fill the vacant office of the Chairperson of the Conflict Resolution Management Committee which is cardinal in the electoral processes after the former Chairperson who is a Catholic priest was hounded out of the office by the UPND for suspecting him of sympathising with the PF
Meanwhile, the Chief Adminstration Officer at the Council Longa Silwenga who is also acting as the Returning Officer for the by-election was at pains to deny the allegations that the transportation of ballot papers was led by the UPND as he could neither confirm nor refute them.
Itala Ward has about 1, 192 registered voters and Friday’s by-election was necessitated following the resignation of former area Councillor Moses Mumba last year.