PRESS STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
13TH JULY 2021
POLITICAL PARTIES SET TO SIGN A PEACE PLEDGE AHEAD OF AUGUST POLLS.
All political parties which are contesting the 2021 General Election directly or indirectly are set to sign a peace pledge on 14th July 2021 at Mulungushi International Conference Center as part of efforts to reaffirm their commitment to peaceful campaigns and upholding peace before, during and after elections.
Speaking ahead of the peace pledge signing ceremony, ZCID Board Chairperson Mr. Jackson Silavwe expressed optimism that the signing of the peace pledge would not only bind political parties morally but also ensure they speak peace to the nation and take necessary steps to address acts of electoral violence involving their members.
We expect that the peace pledge will remind the political parties that they cannot rule a country that falls into conflict and therefore will strive to preserve peace by upholding the rule of law and using non-violent means to seek redress where the need arises.
Representing the three Church Mother Bodies in Zambia, Fr Emmanuel Chikoya stated that the peace pledge was key towards sustaining peace in Zambia as it would be signed by the Presidents of the political parties. He said party leadership was instrumental to how supporters conducted themselves.
Further, Mr Koffi Sawyer, who is Political Officer (Southern Africa) at the Commonwealth Secretariat said Zambia was a valued member of the Commonwealth family and therefore the Commonwealth Secretary-General, The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC, was committed to supporting efforts towards promoting peace before, during and after the general elections.
Mr Sawyer said elections should be a game of ideas and persuasion rather than a physical exercise that leads to injuries, destruction of property and even loss of life. Elections are processes through which the population should elect their leaders to represent them and not processes through which any citizen should suffer injury.
Political parties in Zambia are scheduled to sign the peace pledge which, among others, requires parties to campaign peacefully and deter any acts of violence by their members.
The signing of the peace pledge is being spearheaded by the Coalition for Peaceful Elections in Zambia (CPEZ). It is a platform that is co-convened by the Zambia Centre for Inter-party Dialogue (ZCID) and the Church Mother Bodies (CMB) and brings together strategic organizations whose main goal is to prevent electoral violence that was witnessed in past elections and recently in the country.
This Coalition is comprised of the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ), the Human Rights Commission (HRC), the Non-Governmental Organisations Coordinating Council (NGOCC), the Zambia Federation of Disability Organisations (ZAFOD), the Zambia Police Service, the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia, the National Youth Development Council (NYDC) and Transparency International. The Coalition is working in synergy, and supported by the Commonwealth and the United Nations. It was launched on July 1st, 2021.
ENDS////