VICE-PRESIDENT Inonge Wina says PF members are proud of what transpired at their national convention.
Responding to Monze Central UPND member of parliament Jack Mwiimbu who wanted to know if she was happy with a process where no votes were cast, Vice-President Wina justified the exercise.
Mwiimbu started by congratulating those appointed at the PF general assembly.
He later said Article 60(2)(d) of the Republican Constitution requires that a political party promotes and practices democracy through regular, free and fair elections within itself.
“I would like to find out from Your Honour whether in your view the appointments which were made at your convention without elections are not a contravention of Article 60(2)(d) of the Constitution of Zambia,” Mwiimbu asked during the Vice-President’s Question Time in Parliament yesterday.
In response, Vice-President Wina said it would be useful for politicians to understand constitutions of other parties.
She said as a learned lawyer, Mwiimbu should study the constitution of the Patriotic Front in detail.
Vice-President Wina said the Article Mwiimbu had quoted from the Republican Constitution should be read with the PF constitution, article 57(3)(a) to understand how elections in the ruling party were conducted.
“And PF has managed to conduct elections from the grassroots, from the branches, wards, constituency, districts, provinces up to the national level. And this was done transparently,” she said. “So, we are very proud of what transpired in terms of democratic elections in PF. Names are submitted to the council, names are scrutinised from all parts of the country and the president is also mandated to nominate from that list, and that list will be approved or rejected by the national council or national conference.”
Vice-President Wina said there was nothing sinister in the way PF elections were conducted.