THE Opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) will not hold its convention prior to the 2011 tripartite elections, party spokesperson Charles Kakoma has said.
Mr Kakoma said the UPND convention would only be held in 2012, six years after the last convention was held in 2006.
He said his party and the Patriotic Front (PF) were currently working on the rules that would be adopted by the joint governance council of the pact to guide the two parties on how to come up with one presidential candidate for the 2011 elections.
But when reminded that PF leader Michael Sata had already declared that he would contest in 2011 as a presidential candidate despite UPND’s insistence that the pact would come up with one presidential candidate, Mr Kakoma said anyone was free to declare intentions to stand in next year’s elections.
He said the joint governance council would soon meet to adopt the guidelines prior to the launch of the pact which he said was delayed because of the Mufumbwe and Milanzi by-elections held on April 29.
But PF secretary general Wynter Kabimba said Mr Sata’s stance to contest the 2011 was based on hope that he may be picked as the pact’s presidential candidate.
“Mr Sata has not declared that he will contest as president in 2011.
“But I should say the statements that have been attributed to him that he will contest the 2011 are based on hope that he may be picked by the Pact as the 2011 candidate,” Mr Kabimba said.
Despite the Pact’s decision to come up with one presidential candidate, Mr Sata on May 5 vowed that he would contest the 2011 election and that he would continue to vie for presidency even if he lost next year’s polls.
This was when he featured on a live programe, ‘Face the Media’ on Radio Phoenix.
Mr Kabimba said the PF convention had been set for October this year, after the completion of elections at lower level.
“We hope to complete elections at the lower level by the end of this month.
Asked to comment on the stance by the UPND to hold the convention in 2012, Mr Kakoma said despite the fact that the two parties were in a pact, they were still different political parties with different constitutions.
MMD National Secretary Katele Kalumba said the ruling party would go ahead with the planned convention once all the elections at lower level up to the provincial level were concluded.
Dr Kalumba said the MMD national executive committee would soon meet to come up with the date for the convention.
“The MMD convention will go ahead as planned. What we are doing now is to ensure all the elections at lower level are done.
{Times of Zambia]
Mr Sata on May 5 vowed that he would contest the 2011 election and that he would continue to vie for presidency even if he lost next year’s polls.
This was when he featured on a live programe, ‘Face the Media’ on Radio Phoenix.
Open thine eyes UP’N’Down.
Clearly Prince Cobra(HH) is taking after his DAD king Cobra.His genes have been genetically modified by the dominant ‘NO convention gene’,from his DAD.
The hide-and-seek game continues.Kakoma is just fooling himself.Kabimba knows very well who is suppose to be the Pact president.
Although ours is not based on the UK system, the PACT could still keep their last card until the right time.
Am not sure whether this decision not to go for a convention is appropriate, however the truth of the matter is we have no better alternative than the main man himself, only hope sata will step down and let the youth rule.
I pray for HH to be the pact candidate. if he wont i will still vote for the pact. BUT for sure not MMD.
# 6,
Wasting your vote on the PACT that will ever win national elections or indeed staying at home is your inconsequential right. Do whatever you want but ruling power belongs to Zambians and MMD. It will remain so in 2011. What matters to Zambians is retaining ruling MMD for enduring peace, national unity, economic progress and democracy instead of your tribal parties ever reigning.
Mr. Kakoma, Mr. Sata said he will continue contesting elections until he wins. I have also noted that PF dictatorship has crept into the UPND. Why hold the convention until 2012? Is this Mr. Hichilema adopting Mr. Sata’s dictatorship tendencies?
It is amazing that the PF can corrupt the UPND with such dictatorship. The PF has never held a convention ever since inception. Even after the PF convention, Mr. Sata will still be president of PF because he said he will continue contesting elections until he wins. Now it seems the UPND is adopting the PF manifesto of one man party of which the man will continue contesting elections until he wins.
It is amazing.
Holding convention in 2012 is logical considering that the mandate for HH expires in 2011 during the election year. Considering the campaign expenses that the party will incur during 2011 it make sense to have convention in 2012 .
“But PF secretary general Wynter Kabimba said Mr Sata’s stance to contest the 2011 was based on hope that he may be picked as the pact’s presidential candidate.“Mr Sata has not declared that he will contest as president in 2011.” this sounds contraction on the part of PF leadership because Mr. Sata has made up his mind to contest. We as UPND must be careful when dealing with our pact partners.We should not rush the pact we should take a stance of wait and see.
A lot of UPND supporters either won’t vote or will vote their opposition, MMD in 2011. HH has lost his own support. The only reason UPND cadres support the PACT is bcoz they’ve been hounded into it. They fear being insulted by the kaponyas and other drunks if they gave up on the pact. Otherwise, palibe chao. Whichever way, MMD will win these elections clean game. No rigging. VJ will have died by then, William Banda can’t rig anything. He’s a riff-ruff, everyone knows that. RB is from Chipata, what does he know about rigging?
I told you all a long time ago that this pact is designed to distract people from reality. The reality is that political parties need to embrace democracy by holding conventions. Now UPND are avoiding a convention because there are other more educated Tonga’s who can take over the party but will be prevented by the selfishness of HH.
In the UK, Gordon Brown has already resigned after losing the election and people are vying for the top labour job as we write. This is how civilization works!
#7 Patriot….you are calling the PF and UPND as tribal parties? Paramount Chief Mupezeni has just called on RB to tribally balance his cabinet…..hhhhmmmm! what do you make of that….hhhhmmmm. Even Nkhosi yama Nkhosi is seing something wrong with RB’s appointments….comment please.
How dare you tell another Zambia, #6 that ‘Wasting your vote on the PACT that will ever win national elections or indeed staying at home is your inconsequential right. Do whatever you want but ruling power belongs to Zambians and MMD’ I think you are going overboard. So those who dont like MMD are not zambians????….’Rulling power belongs to MMD….and it will remain so’????…your delusions have hit the highest octave.
On “Mr Kakoma said the UPND convention would only be held in 2012, six years after the last convention was held in 2006,” this is yet another visionary move by the UPND Group just like what the did to win the Mufumbwe by-election by forcing PF to contest the Milanzi by-election to stretch the MMD from ccentrating on the Mufumbwe by-election after inticing or inducing the ECZ to make both Milanzi and Mufumbwe by-elections to be held on the same day.
So ““Mr Sata has not declared that he will contest as president in 2011… “But I should say the statements that have been attributed to him that he will contest the 2011 are based on hope that he may be picked by the Pact as the 2011 candidate,” Mr Kabimba said,” this is the first clear indication that PF and Mr Sata…
Stop wasting time, UPND will never hold a convention. HH is the chief financier, owner, president, overseer and board of UPND. This is an individual party and stuck on a road to going nowhere slowly.It will loose 16 elections on the trot. So far 3 down and 13 loses to go before ICHILEMA comes back to his senses.
CONTINUING ON:
So ““Mr Sata has not declared that he will contest as president in 2011… “But I should say the statements that have been attributed to him that he will contest the 2011 are based on hope that he may be picked by the Pact as the 2011 candidate,” Mr Kabimba said,” this is the first clear indication that PF and Mr Sata have adopted a strategy of letting them distract the MMD in election times while the UPND and its visionary leader 2011 presidential candidate HH concentrate on actual winning of the critical elections. Thank you PF especially Mr Sata MC for allowing PF to be a decoy in the UPND-PF PACT as we as Zambians work on working formulae to remove to the MMD Administration from the mis-governing of Zambia that they have done since 1991.
Be blest o…
On Mr UPND Kakoma “… said his party and the Patriotic Front (PF) were currently working on the rules that would be adopted by the joint governance council of the pact to guide the two parties on how to come up with one presidential candidate for the 2011 elections,” this is the only way to go since PF’s Secretary General seems to be on the side of supporting the 2011 UPND-PF PACT presidential candidate that will picked by the governing council even if Mr Sata MC will not be the adopted candidate.
To the PF cadres and supporters of Mr Sata MC, please support the candidature of Mr HH who is the 2011 UPND presidential candidae right now.
Be blest all.
_
Matt 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all thse things shall be added unto you.
We have forgoten so quickly the adage “Birds of the same feathers flock together”. I am not sure when PF ever held a convention, their president is “wamuyaya” and he confirmed that when he said he will keep on contesting even if he looses next years general elections. That is taking his party members for granted that no one in PF will ever emerge to succeed Mr. SATA. I am not sure what the constitution of zambia says about the political parties holding conventions ( Frequency???) We need a body that would over see these political parties so that they adhere to the ternets of their consitutions, peharps the ECZ should have a wing for such. I would like to believe that they all have conventions in their constitutions. If their members vote for the same candidate to continue then no…
Is that a ‘chilonda’ on kakoma’s forehead?
How can a person who says what ever happens, lose or win I will always run for presidency go for a convention? The party is his the pipo who support him are his, so come what may he wants state house by what ever method. In this case, his method is to woodwink ba small HH so that he gets part of HH’s other half of cake. Anyway we shall see at the next elections . Infact they are not birds of the same feathers. PATALI BAKAAMBA
And Sata will give the excuse that his Party has no money for a convention. What we have is two political parties with self imposed tinpot dictators as pesidents in some silly pact and they say thay want to rule the entire country???? We need to taste their grassroots popularity at party level and who knows may be we have a George Mpombo somewhere who wants to challenge the two. Democracy for Mr. Sata and Hachilema is very remote…
Both these fellas have traits of dictatorship. Give them the instruments of power and you will live to regret. As for Mr Sata, didn’t he show us when he was MMD National Secretary by hounding out all those who were opposed to Chiluba’s unconstitutional third term bid?
Ba Wynter nabo, batumona kwati tulibaiche!