Friday, March 29, 2024

Clause for the to allow formation of coalition government defended

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NDF spokesperson Isaac Mwanza
Isaac Mwanza

Spokesperson of the recently dissolved National Dialogue Forum Isaac Mwanza has defended the adopted principle for formation of coalition government where the candidates fail to reach the 50% plus one threshold that it will help the nation in saving resources.

Mr. Mwanza said this principle will apply provided the parties to a coalition government manage to galvanize the total of 50 percent plus one.

Speaking when he featured on United Voice Radio’s Add Your Voice Programme, Mr. Mwanza, who is also Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Governance Advisor, said the candidate that will lead the elections but fails to attain 50% plus one votes can choose from other candidates either number two, three or four and add their percentage to reach 50% plus one of the total votes.

“Let me give an example, if the UPND gets 48 percent of the total votes, then the PF gets 45 percent, then the UPND can choose to enter into a coalition government with either the PF, or the party that is on third or even on fourth position for as long as when they add the percentage it will be 50% plus one votes,” he clarified.

Mr, Mwanza stated that the delegates at the forum thought this is one way of avoiding reruns that may be costly to the treasury.

He said this will not be the first time a coalition government will be formed in Zambia saying even the first government by the UNIP Government was a coalition one with the ANC.

Mr. Mwanza stated that in Zambia, there are political alliances and that this coalition government can still work in an event that no presidential candidate attains the required 50% plus one of the total votes cast.

He also said the decision by the UPND leadership to stay away from the NDF did not have any impact on the process.

Meanwhile, Mr. Mwanza said the pronouncement by UPND Spokesperson Charles Kakoma that their Members of Parliament will derail the bill in parliament is retrogressive.

He said it is unfortunate that they have failed to appreciate some of the provisions such as the provision for entry of women and marginalized groups in Parliament and Councils through the mixed member electoral system.

He said these are the issues that all stakeholders including the UPND should be embracing as they are aimed at having an inclusive governance system.

Mr. Mwanza further stated that the UPND can resolve to frustrate the process in parliament but that they should put the country first.

The Spokesperson of the recently dissolved NDF has also refuted claims that the government was paying delegates at the forum in terms of allowances.

“As for me, since I was representing YALI, I was being paid K100 per day and the allowance was coming from my organization and not from the government. Other organizations were paying well. Like UPPZ President Charles Chanda who claimed that he was paid K9, 000, he came to the forum under the ZCID so probably he was paid by the center the same amount.

The allowances were determined by the organizations that sent their representative to the forum,” he said.

He since called on all MPs to put political interests aside and support the bill when it is tabled before parliament.

36 COMMENTS

  1. This was truly the National Disaster Forum and best indicator is performance of the Kwacha. We should have been having an Economic Recovery Forum instead.

    • The guy is dull.
      That Issac is just embarrassing himself. Why his organization paying him K100pin on top of his salary.

    • Even the coverage is an indicator: that headline?
      Clause for the to allow formation of coalition government defended

    • I am confused! Is what Mwanza talking about a COALITION GOVT or something else?! How can the combination of electoral votes of two or more Political Parties be called a coalition Govt? I thought Coalition Govts are formed on the basis of NUMBER OF ELECTORAL SEATS parties to the Coalition have in Parliament and NOT electoral votes.

      Is Mwanza suggesting that a Political Party without a single seat in Parliament can still be part of a “Coalition Govt” by simply contributing electoral votes to the Coalition in order to reach the 50% + 1 threshold? Well maybe I just don’t know, but I have NEVER heard of such a thing being called a Coalition Govt. Yes, Political Party Coalitions can be formed to run in an election as a single entity. But NOT combining electoral votes later in order to…

    • Continue….

      reach a set threshold (in our case the 50% + 1) Where in the world is such a thing practiced?

      What you combine is SEATS in Parliament (or whatever HOUSE you operate under) in order to get a governing majority. In our case in Zambia, I am not sure what the required governing majority is. But I think that’s what a Coalition Govt means (it is based on combining SEATS and NOT Votes.) Mwanza, please do some research first. You are rushing this thing through when it sounds like you don’t even understand what you are talking about.

      Nonetheless, if this is what you want, well, that’s fine. But just don’t confuse people by calling it a “Coalition Govt” because it is NOT! What is being proposed here is a completely different “animal”.

    • By the way, what is being overlooked by people like Mwanzq is the fact that in our set up, someone can win the Presidency and still lose Parliament (not have a majority in Parliament.) And it is exactly in such a situation that COALITION GOVTS are formed. Not combining electoral votes in order to win an election (reach the 50% + 1 threshold) and call that a Coalition Govt. Where on Earth!?

    • We should just use the South African constitution. It’s a representation system. No major party will walk out with zero and the difference in seats between the PF and UPND will be small.

    • The dullness on our country is shocking. We have to overhaul the election system to provide for coalition government. Parties can’t just agree. Wasted Lungu years indeed.

  2. I don’t buy it! You can’t justify introducing this as a money saving scheme when you proposed the introduction of deputy ministers. Give the new constitution a chance, instead of changing it to suit certain parties/individuals. You should have sorted the lacunas, instead of ripping the new constitution to bits! The NDF just proves that selfish motives are behind the proposed changes because PF promised not to make changes to the constitution through a white paper or other means other than through a referendum! MPs finishing 5 year TERM-SELFISH, Introducing deputy MINISTERS-SELFISH, Coalition if 50%+1 not MET-SELFISH, Mayor’s to be APPOINTED-SELFISH!

  3. Signs of a dying horse, pf knows that so they are betting on mmd,easterners and few northerners ,but it is likely to backfire on this scheme.

    • 2
      Don’t include Northerners in this. Only Kioswes, probably. Our men like Kabimba and Si kota are now Confirmed dull, useless, brainless. How can you think that AFTER failing to get 50%you can still get it by finding some votes from Kabimba, Nawakwi or same Sikota!!? That’s what they are promised!!!! Stage. It won’t work

  4. Defending the indefensible,yes in addition to those issues raised @2,2.1 decendant of..the spokes person is not telling us what happens when a partner withdraws from the coalition??Another election or searching for new coalition partners? In such circumstances,who is the President or who runs the country?

  5. The issue about not keeping retirees on payroll is meant to pave way for the massive ethnic cleansing thats on the cards.This NDF has committed treason and participants are a bunch of haters who dont mean well for national unit

  6. Coalition is ok. No one may get 50+1 especially upendi.

    @100% votes from southern province upendi can only achieve 47%

    Upendi is the biggest beneficiary. The problem with upendi bigotry is narrow mindedness. Rigid and closed mind. Life starts and ends with hh. No hh no life

    • @ Its Political.
      Let’s think a bit. The 50%+1 in the current constitution refers to a person, a Presidential Candidate. How can candidate A get votes for candidate B to push him over the threshold? With this thinking, those who come out 2nd and 3rd can agree to put their votes together to defeat the one who is first! If it is cost you are really concerned about, why not just go back to first past the post system. You are assured that the candidate with the highest votes wins and no reruns. Did you think about that?

  7. Please Mr Mwanza do not compare the 1962 coalition government which was formed by UNIP and ANC with Kaunda as Prime Minister under a very different constitution which was parliamentary and not presidential.In 1962 there was no direct vote for a president or more correctly then ,Prime Minister. The leader of the majority party in the Legislative Assembly became Prime Minister.Yes, you can have a so called coalition government under the current constitution but only under a president directly elected by the people.You can not just add votes for two candidates to reach a presidential threshold.This a recipe for a constitutional chaos in this country.A president can be elected only on the basis of individual votes attained either in the first round or in a re-run or by parliament under a…

  8. …..parliamentary system of electing a president.How, for example can you just add ECL and Mutati`s votes to elect ECL President. It just does not make sense.In a presidential election people are not voting for A GOVERNMENT but for a President who can form Government from elected MPs. The NDF was assembled to formulate a PF constitution for 2021.In their haste they lost all reason and came out with total rubbish.

  9. So what happens to the constitution provision of a running mate who will be voted together with the Presidential candidate in the first round because whoever wants to take his or her Nashala neka party to form a coalition would want to be the Veep?

  10. This is a directive from lungu…..no matter the disillusionment of voter , he will rig to get to the coalition threshold.

    This will only dely his prosecution for 5 years in any case.

  11. How do you determine coalition on one person’s vote? Koma this is nonsense of very high proportions! So if one party wins majority seats but their candidate for prez gets 45% elo wamene a na 49% ali na ma MP wawili ndiye cani manje?

  12. This ci-big headed PF carder Isaac also. full of ulterior motives and thinking that he is wise when in actual sense is a fool. All those schemes will backfire and PFools will live to regret their folly.

  13. You heard lungu saying the opposition want to force a GRZ of national unitynot long ago, lungu has been hinting about this coalition GRZ ,

    People , this coalition thing is just security for lungu incase he does not get a majority

    • In saying that, we have been calling on mr lungu to consider a GRZ of national unity to fix the problems the country is facing,

      Hopefully this is tacit admission by mr lungu that PF alone can not fix Zambia and the country need everybody to work off the same page in a GRZ of national unity

  14. Moderator what’s going on here with my posts???? Is this a PF platform where you don’t allow divergent views. I keep posting comments and you don’t allow them. Why???

  15. This is the problem when individuals with nothing to do gather to eat and drink by the gross and claim that they are deciding how the nation will be governed. They can defend its introduction but ask them about how its operationalization they will be stuck. Even the petition can’t be heard and be decided in 30 days because of how we conduct our elections and the law on evidence. The likes of Keith Mweemba will take 10 days to cross-examine 1 witness. Please beware of idyots in large numbers!

  16. How did Dialogue Degenerate into Constitution Mutilating exercise without the required participation of us citizens?
    This is Treason!

  17. I don’t see any sense here because if my party comes out with 48 % and I decide to choose a party that came out number 3 to form a coaling govt what happens to number 2. that’s unfair but a rerun.

  18. 2
    Don’t include Northerners in this. Only Kioswes, probably. Our men like Kabimba and Si kota are now Confirmed dull, useless, brainless. How can you think that AFTER failing to get 50%you can still get it by finding some votes from Kabimba, Nawakwi or same Sikota!!? That’s what they are promised!!!! Stage. It won’t work

  19. There’s more elections in coalition government system than any so I can’t get what elections problem they’re trying to solve here. Even a simple google research on coalitions governments will inform you on the likes of Italy, Israel, German, etc. It just takes one party to withdraw there airport and it’s an election. With the non principled politicians in our country who can’t even anything sensible between parties and now u expect them suddenly mature and handle that? It’s a pity this even coming from the young politicians. It tells u why we are where we are in this trouble.
    Just keep our current system but strengthen the other arms of government and institutions. You will not afford elections that come with coalition governments

  20. Please people in authority understand what people are saying, you cannot form coalition government based on presidental votes. It will be a recipe of disaster in Zambia. Just go back to simple majority if really want to rule forever!

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