The Foundation for Democratic Process says President Edgar Lungu’s pronouncement of the creation of two new districts in North-Western Province and the commissioning of the US$1.2billion Sentil Copper Mine at Kalumbila Minerals barely a day after the Solwezi West parliamentary nominations is an act of electoral blackmail.
FODEP Executive Director Macdonald Chipenzi said President Lungu has not only undermined the credibility of the Solwezi West Parliamentary electoral outcomes but his party, the Electoral Commission of Zambia’s effort of ensuring a credible process and the entire electoral process in Zambia too.
Mr Chipenzi said it is amazing how President Lungu, who has been frequenting Solwezi and North-Western Province in general has find it appropriate to create Mushindano and Kalumbila Districts during electoral campaigns period.
He said Mr Lungu’s action is irregular and part of electoral malpractices and bribery especially that he had all the time to do so well before the parliamentary bye-election.
“Since this act has been committed right at the start of the electoral campaign period prescribed by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) and at the time the Electoral Code of Conduct statutory Instrument No. 52 of 2011 is in force, participating political parties should lodge a formal complaint with the Conflict Management Committee, so that the Commission can censure the culprit,” Mr Chipenzi said.
Mr Chipenzi said this action from the President, who swore to protect the Zambian Constitution, demonstrates how defective the current constitution is as it vests so much power in one person as long as that person is in power and includes power to breach the same Constitution with impunity.
“The President’s disregard of the provisions of section 79 of the Electoral Act No. 12 of 2006 has undermined the electoral democratic process in Zambia. Such acts from the highest office in the land dampen electoral stakeholders’ hope of achieving an electoral process that is credible and free of electoral malpractices, corruption, bribery, irregularities and petitions.”
Mr Chipenzi said President Lungu’s action will buttress sentiments that President and his party are desperately want to win the Solwezi West parliamentary by-election either by hook or crook especially observing events that have so far characterized the bye-election where MMD candidate suspiciously defected to PF on the day of nomination.
“Therefore, Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP) wishes to condemn this act and strongly urges the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) and other law enforcement agencies to censure President Lungu and any politicians in the habit of undermining the electoral process in order to instil confidence in the electoral process and its outcomes ahead of 2016 tripartite elections.”
Comment:iwe chipenzi you are UPND Everybody knows your tricks
Edgar told us he had no plan. I was not surprised he declared new districts, such uncoordinated activities should be expected of him. It will be surprising for him to deliver on any of his campaign promises; constitution, low mealie meal prices, low cost of leaving. Anyway , tis choice was a disaster which even hard core PF sympathizers have come to realize
I don’t think being UPND, Rsinbow or any other Party for that matter shud prevent someone from commentcommenting especially if they are providing facts based bone the law. You can fo better to challenge his points either facts and citing the law as he has done than alleging he s UPND which is not illegal as yu also are aligned to a party!
@Ba naki so what if he is UPND- its also a political party in Zambia!
Where is the legislative wing?
Comment:this is a good move by the ptesident. please lets suport him as he takes development to all parts of the country. bravo lungu.
Is FODEP a political party or an NGO? Mr Chipenzi, we know you re politically aligned to UPND,so whatever u say we take it with a pinch of salt. We know u will be contesting the Siavonga parliamentary seat on upnd ticket in 2016.So, dont be a wolf in a sheep’s skin.Just dissolve your political party FODEP and join UPND.
@Kitwe! So Lungu makes sense to you! Kanshi naiwe uli chikopo nga Lungu!
He did it as head of state and not as a political party agent. Therein lies the loophole. You will lose that argument very quickly. Meantime the essence of a district is to devolve functions from the center. Of and in itself, it is a move with good intent.
Read the article again.
Should have been worse if he said the two will be made districts if you vote for PF. For now people can still vote for another party and tbis action cannot be reversed.
Comment:
Typical of pastoralist UPND carder Chipenzi , always critical of any and all aspects of progress.
Senior Carder Chipenzi at it again. I am sure Njala yakunyokola. Kindly be informed that your HH takatekepo. This your man , HH , is just a regional President.
Comment:@ kaputo davis, you are very dull indeed why should you oppose such a good move . it simply means that powers in this area has been devolved. this means that developement has been taken closer to the pipo. if the president had dont this for northern province , these upnd chaps like kaputo davis and chipenzi could have said that its tribal.
Chipenzi is right and spot on!
Fortunately, Northwesterners will not take this Lungu’s blackmail!
Edgar Muzarewa Lungu was rejected by NWP in broad daylight! So embarrassing how he was booed!
Only pfools were deceived to vote for a Wolf in sheep skin in the name of tribe and humility and the same pfools are the first to complain when the inevitable has happened to the economy.
Enjoy your self-inflicted misery which will take another 30 years of serious work to reverse.
As for me, Zambia can no longer be my home except for the remaining resources to extract and externalise
Zambia is finished!
At this time of budget deficit is worst time to be creating other bomas. That is how Africans think. They don’t consider cost implications.
I’m an advocate of decentralization but creating of districts will not be achieving this.
Bigger districts can devolve into smaller decision making & governance municipal units.
Eg the four constituencies of Ndola can each be a municipality without breaking the city. This should be done at local level. It shouldn’t need the whole President.
As long as Lusaka still wields all the power nothing has been devolved.
Look at institutions that make decisions for Kabushi. RDA, Ratsa, Nwasco, Zesco, KWSC, Ndola city council, etc. All these can be coordinated in one municipal unit.
Of course regulatory agencies can be in Lusaka but why should issuance of a driver’s licence be done in Lsk.
Because of so many such players, mostly based in Lsk, planning is uncoordinated. That’s how you find a water hydrant in the middle of a road, a sewer line under an office block, etc.
Created 2 more new districts? Easier said than done! I don’t think a sane Zambian can be bought by this simple pronouncement of declaring Kalumbila and Mushindano as district. I did be happy to see these districts develop which will be good for mother Zambia. What is happening to the newly created by late M.C.S?
Created 2 more new districts? Easier said than done! I don’t think a sane Zambian can be bought by this simple pronouncement of declaring Kalumbila and Mushindano as districts. I did be happy to see these districts develop which will be good for mother Zambia. What is happening to the newly created by late M.C.S?
Comment: SENGAHILL in Mbala was declared a district some 3 months ago during a bye election . After election no mention is being done on it.