grandmother, Tiwamyenji Miti ( right) cast her vote at Mtaya Basic
school polling station in a Kasenengwa parliamentary by-election in
Chipata
How can one country , facing the same challenges have such varying results ? Why should there be such huge margins , opposite of each other in varying regions?. After over 200 years of sharing this country, the deep mistrust between tribes still divides us.
It is the duty of the Electoral commission to educate voters about why they should cast their votes. The just ended By-Election shows that people are merely practising regional politics. In the same country, surely we should share similar sentiment about the state of affairs but why such variations? ECZ should create provisions to penalise political parties that campaign on tribal lines. Sentiment like “vote for your own” I think candidates who issue such statements should be disqualified.
This type of attitude is very primitive and hinders development. If we continue down this path we are surely headed nowhere. People treat national issues like soccer , you support Arsenal or Chelsea through thick and thin.How many times have we heard statements like “tulemikolopa” or this party for life ? This is the mentality ECZ should work at ridding the nation of. Because so far they are failing in their job. We can not continue down this path. The past by elections results are just shameful , and an indicator of the primitivity of our politics and governance systems.
Niza Phiri (Munali aspirant)
But the president scared the people of Lubaseshi that if they dont vote for him, he would not tke development there!
Unfortunately the President himself is in the forefront of fanning tribal voting. He is on record championing the wako ni wako syndrome. The best Zambia can do is to go for a federal government system.
That Phiri he is kind of a messed up person. I never thought ECZ should educate people to stop being tribal.
Well said. The electorate do not see the link among Government-Policy Makers-Policies-State of the economy-Unemployment-Poverty. They still see these things as stand alone! ECZ, political parties, civil society have failed to educate the electorate in these matters! Without a doubt we are on a wrong lane!
The massive tribally bigoted governance Chiluba and Sata engineered and allowed to fester has finally broken the back of Zambia. Whether one likes it or not, there is no way now to deny that a yawning geopolitical divide has materialized in Zambia and there is virtually nothing anyone can do to stop Zambia from splitting into two. And as I see it, its this continued monopoly of power by the North-Eastern Bemba/Nyanja wicked alliance at the exclusion of all other Zambians that has wrecked this country. You cannot build two universities in one newest province while seven ones languish with zero meaningful learning institutions. Bembas and Nyanjas should know that we are feed up of their stupidity and mediocrity in power, they are jointly captives here, of our own device.
You have spoken facts. Sata was the worst of them all. Lets demand for a federal government.
If there was a law not to allow the president campaigning during parliamentary by-elections. It’s not fair at all where a sitting president is telling people to vote for him, if they do not, no developmental projects to be taken in that constituency. Does it mean that Zambia shouldn’t have opposition political parties for fear of not being recognized in that particular constituency.
He said the same things in both constituencies but lost in NW – Why?
People are finally learning that PF is just a Party of LIARS!
After their FAILURE to deliver anything else except more BUFI we can see through it.
PF promised an end to ZESCO load shedding in 90 days!! What is happening now?
PF promised MORE MONEY IN YOUR POCKET! But that did not happen, and even the money you had before is now only worth HALF AS MUCH!
I wrote about this before. Voting shouldnt come by virtue of one attaining the age of 18. One does not get a driving license by virtue of one attaining 18 years. if it were so, then the roads would become deadly and thousands of our people would be dieing by the day or week. But, to avoid this, each seeker of a driving license goes through intensive instructions and an examination at which they determine whether or not they should drive. A similar approach should be done with voters cards. the card is a powerful tool, more powerful than a driving license.Issue training to all our would be voters before they attain the card. Use the ECZ and Universities to develop a curriculum which will properly educate the people. For school going children,this program can be incorporated in the final…
years of their studies. The other adults not going to school or have long finished their studies should attain their qualification to vote by attaining community classes at local councils etc. We cant take it for granted that the educated are well informed. they too need to attain this qualification. This program should be consistent, if people want to vote then they should study and go for this qualification exam. the nuances of this program can be further dealt with by our so called intellectuals. i can do it for free also and am not looking for a job. i just want the best for my country.
All over the world parties have traditional strongholds. This slightly shifts once in a while when there is a “powerful” shake up.
This said, our rural voter’s allegiance is usually tribally inclined. Its only the metropolises that will influence the outcome of 2016. Like some blogger has said ‘in the rural areas they don’t care about inflation, dollar, constitution, economy, etc’.
The people in Solwezi voted mainly on the current issues every good meaning Zambian is going through i.e High prices of essentials, Load Shedding, High Fuel costs, Massive corruption, Job Losses, Nepotism etc. HH is not from there. But the Bembas still think SATA will one day rise from the dead. The suffering will continue & even get worse, as more price hikes are on the way.
PF is not controlling Central Province. Go to ECZ website and see who won Central province, for info. it was HH in January 2015.Lusaka is changing as well.
Central province HH got 68074 PF got 53462
Lusaka Province PF got 178977 HH got 104178
Can’t you see the difference now
Results for 2011 election presidential for Lusaka province
PF had 224925 HH had only 45397
Open your eyes and see
Good evidence but some people still Bembas. South Province gave HH 100% because they are intelligent? Bembas are fools. In NW voters voted for UPND candidate because they think. Those who voted for PF are dull and think Sata will come back? By the way nearly all candidates in the two by elections are natives of the areas?
How can this girl vote for her grandmother, what mechanism is their for visually impaired pipo to vote?
Things are changing…
There is no Chance for UPND to win in 2016. The Load Shedding the UPND has put its hopes on and the Kwacha Depreciation are temporal things. What if come January Load Shedding ends? And the Kwacha gains? What will UPND talk about in view of the Massive Infrastructural Developments the PF has done through out the Country. The noise being made on some Radio Stations by UPND members doesnt mean a thing. People know the cause of economic problems and load Shedding in Zambia. It is not Edgar Lungu.Period.
Be serious! What development has PF brought? Tribal politics are not helping this country
But did the people of mulobezi vote on tribal lines as well? I don’t see anything tribal about the Lubansenshi vote pattern. Even during M’wasa MMD candidtes were strong in Lunte,Kaputa and several north areas inspite of Sata. You should also keep reminding yourself that M’leka wasn’t voted on PF ticket despite its popularity.One would rather ask more questions about the voting pattern in Solwezi . . .difficult to comprehend.
what you spoke is not facts but truth and it sucks to see people fight among them selves for nothing to almost killing each other, talk of what happened to solwezi and that village which reported gunshots, i want to vote i mean i have always needed to am scared. in short i personally strongly feel ECZ is trying and that its high time it stopped trying but learn to do it.
Its not ECZ at fault. Tribalism is engraved in peoples minds. We (every Zambian) are the perpetrators of tribalism. GBM thinks he can win in Kasama.
Niza: what exactly are you saying. I dont understand your complaint at all. And you want to be an MP with such kind of reasoning
I like this voting pattern because it means UPND cannot win 2016. 3 provinces verses 7 provinces. 2016 here we come again.
Very disappointing result. Anyway people don’t know what they are voting for in the first place. Things will never change in Zambia seemingly no matter what. This gives the Barotse secessionists fuel to move on. Maybe they are right after all things will never change. Why stay then? Sorry for Mucheleka’s bright political future which may be in red for good if things don’t change. He has paid for telling Zambians the truth about poor governance by PF. My only consolation is that we are in this with Fred Mmembe and Wynter Kabimba. When they were on the other side eating with the PF, the PF was the best thing that ever happened to Zambia when they knew how bad the policies that Sata and his PF were pursuing. All that is wrong today under Edgar Lungu, started when Wynter and Fred were in…
All that is wrong today under Edgar Lungu, started when Wynter and Fred were in charge of PF. God ejected them from the seat and now they have to bark in the dark opposition. It’s rough here, they are feeling it. But anyway, we also recognise their current stand and fight against injustice by PF.
This is a country of people who are evil and great pretenders calling themselves Christians! This is only the start, Zambia will break into pieces because of tribal stupiidty which is fuelled by two (2) tribes in Zambia, in the order, Bembas, Easterners when the Lozis, Tongas, Kaondes, Lubales, Lunda and other do it, it is called TRIBALISM, What a fuss and full of shame?
The other issue is people’s understanding of the current government program mes. Villagers in Lubanseshi don’t understand the implication of Load shedding, depreciation of the Kwacha & high fuel prices just to mention a few. To them given roads and clinics is enough development.
The only way to end tribolism in politics is by eliminating hh from the political scene. For once all the tallngers will ‘ve no blood connection with mwanagwesu syndrome. As long as we maintain hh this issue will never end. 2016 bane we have a golden opportunity to retire one trybo hh and political violence.
What people should agree on, in my view, is that political immaturity abounds. Calling one region foolish and another wise only serves to entrench stereotypes. What we need is non-partisan voter education, and serious laws against vote buying, voter victimisation and coercion.
But, why does the tribal debate come when UPND wins a seat – because it is South-Western in origin – and there is nothing wrong with PF winning in North/Eastern, Really?
The culture of political immaturity still holds firm in our rural areas, and sometimes manifests as regional voting. Serious voter education, and sanctions against vote buying by intimidation, hook or crook, could solve this.