Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has told the court that it cannot establish new polling centres in Zambian correctional facilities as the exercise has already closed.

This was in a petition where Prisons Care and Counseling Association (PRISCCA) executive director Geoffrey Malembeka petitioned the Attorney General and the ECZ to allow eligible inmates to vote in this year’s elections.

Dr Malembeka wanted the court to instruct the Ministry of Home Affairs which is in charge of issuing of National Registration Cards (NRCs) to immediately go into the Zambian correctional facilities and issue NRCs to those eligible to vote.

“ECZ should go into prisons through mobile voter registration and register as voters all prisoners eligible so that they too can vote on August 11,” he stated.

Dr Malembeka argued that all pre-trial remandees in prisons throughout the country were innocent until proven guilty, therefore they should enjoy their constitutional right to vote.

However, Attorney General’s chambers assistant senior State advocate, Murah Kapamba, said the prisoners’ right to vote and register could only be enjoyed in the next general election, as the voter registration, closed on February 29, 2016.

Mr Kapamba, however, submitted that the State did not oppose Dr Malembeka’s petition, because Article 46 of the Constitution permitted every eligible citizen to vote.

ECZ director of elections Chomba Chella said during preparations for this year’s elections, the elections body did not establish polling centres at any prison or detention centre.

Mr Chela said the voter registration was conducted from September 13, last year, to February 29, this year, after which, the exercise closed in readiness for the certification of the voter register.

He said that voters’ cards had already been issued to those eligible to vote and the ECZ could not register new voters as the exercise had already ended.

FIVE suspected Patriotic Front (PF) cadres in Kalulushi have been apprehended by police for allegedly attacking their MMD counterparts.

The PF cadres ambushed their counterparts as they were returning from a campaign rally in Lufwanyama.

Copperbelt Police chief, Charity Katanga and MMD aspiring parliamentarian Annie Munshya confirmed the development in separate interviews on Thursday.

It is alleged that seven MMD members were injured during the attack, but were treated and discharged from the hospital.

Ms Munshya condemned the attack on her members because the MMD and the PF were working as partners with the former also campaigning for President Edgar Lungu for the August 11, general elections.

She alleged that the unruly cadres confiscated her public address system as well as other campaign material and that her campaign vehicle was damaged during the confusion.

The matter was reported to police in Kalulushi.

Ms Katanga said the suspects were currently in police custody, but could not divulge more information.

Vice President, Inonge Wina has warned of severe disciplinary action against any PF member found engaging in political violence.

Ms. Wina says the party wants the August 11 general election to be free and fair.

The Vice President, who is President Lungu’s running mate in next month’s election, sounded the warning when she met PF Kafulafuta District officials.

And Ms. Wina said President Lungu is eager to win the elections without a re-run.

She urged PF members in Kafulafuta to continue working hard to ensure that the seat is grabbed from the opposition.

Ms. Wina said the party is depending on the grassroots to produce positive results on the poll day.

And Copperbelt Province Minister, Mwenya Musenge assured the Vice President that the region is geared to give President Lungu and the PF victory in the election

MMD President Dr. Nevers Mumba has warned President Edgar Lungu to stop abusing and mocking the name of God by hoodwinking Zambians to fast and pray against political violence when he is the chief culprit in fueling the vice and had recently publicly announced that he had summoned senior police officers to State House and to ordered them to ‘sort out’ the opposition. A few days after that a UPND rally in Chawama was cancelled at short notice and the crowd dispersed using live bullets resulting in the death of a female UPND cadre.

“He is instigating and fanning violence at night by using the police to harrass the opposition and in the morning wears a desceptive humble face to ask the country to fast and pray. God cannot be mocked and does not initiate violence but President Lungu does. It is not for God to stop violence, but Lungu,” warned Dr. Mumba.

He said as Commander in Chief with all security wings under his jurisdiction, President Lungu was abusing this authority with impunity to frustrate opposition campaign programmes including abrupt cancellation of opposition party rallies, provocative and senseless police and ZAF actions deliberately aimed at disadvantaging the opposition while giving unfair political advantage and free course to the PF to freely conduct their campaigns.

He was speaking at a huge mammoth rally in Luangwa township in Kitwe, part of the ‘whirlwind’ Copperbelt campaign tour being undertaken with alliance partner UPND Vice-President Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba in which they addressed several huge rallies in Twapia in Ndola, Mpongwe, Kasumbalesa, Kantanshi, Chingola, Kafulafuta, all in just two days focused on comprehensively ‘combing’ the entire Copperbelt in preparation for the August election.

Dr. Mumba said wherever the team went in Northern and Luapula provinces during the previous week, they met heavy police resistance and harrassment exemplified by the surrounding of Mano Radio station by armed police, threats of grounding their chopper, cancelling of landing and flying permits and short-notice expulsion orders to leave the provinces by the Police command and Zambia Air Force Commander all under the guise of President Lungu’s anticipated visits to the areas.

This harrassment included the latest attack on UPND Vice-President’s private residence and harrassment of his wife and family in Kasama where the police raided and ransacked the place resulting in the disappearance of K345,000. 00 cash which had been in the house.

These incidents resulted in delays in their Luapula and Northern province campaign programmes which in most cases had to be cancelled or drastically shortened before the final leg of the tour to the Copperbelt.

The key message to the Copperbelt electorate was that in 2011, the PF came to ‘steal, kill and destroy’ their jobs and dreams as they had failed to bring new mining investors to the sector all due to President Lungu’s self-confessed lack of vision in managing the affairs of the country and caused the collapse of the economy due to the unstable, unpredictable and confused economic policy regime of the Patriotic Front which led to loss of investor confidence and the resultant job losses and escalation of the cost of living.

They urged them to join the rest of the country in removing the PF Government and rally behind the candidature of Hakainde Hichilema’s premium and focused leadership to save the country from total collapse.

Mr Mweemba told ZANIS in an interview in Ndola today that the violence that has rocked some parts of the country is detrimental to the economic growth of the nation.

He noted that with less than two months to the election day on August 11, 2016, political leaders should ensure that their cadres desist from all acts of violence as it will have a negative impact on investor confidence that Zambia commands.

He noted that the unprecedented political violence that is taking part in some parts of the country is being driven by the high unemployment levels among the youths and poverty which many people are faced with in the nation.

He urged the government to prioritise youth empowerment programs in order for the unemployed youths to be engaged in productive issues and not violence, adding that youths engage in violent activities because they do not have anything productive to do.

Mr Mweemba observed that for Zambia to get where it should be in terms of development there is need for all stakeholders to condemn violence as it retards development because investors with intentions to invest in the country cannot do so.

The Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) says it is concerned with the manner in which the Public Order Act is being applied by the police.

LAZ Council Member, Chishimba Kaela, says the Public Order Act is been applied unfairly by the police infringing upon those in opposition.

ZANIS reports that Mr Kaela said LAZ is, however, happy with the high court’s verdict on the Public Order Act, adding that the police have now been mandated to give proper reasons before denying anyone permission to hold public meetings.

Mr Kaela said this during a public discussion held in Ndola yesterday to sensitise people on the implementation of the Public Order Act.

He also urged all those who are 18 and holders of National Registration Cards to vote ‘yes’ in the referendum.

Mr Kaela said Zambians have been given a chance to enhance the Bill of Rights by voting ‘yes’ in the referendum.

And speaking at the same function, Human Rights Commission (HRC) Chief Officer – Information Education and Training – Mweelwa Muleya, revealed that his organisation organised the public forum calling all stakeholders in the electoral process following complaints by the stakeholders over the unfair application of the Public Order Act by the police.

Mr Muleya said HRC is also concerned with the manner in which stakeholders have been failing to abide by the Public Order Act.

He said there is need to strike a balance between maintaining law and order and the protection of human rights.

SACCORD Executive Director Boniface Cheembe said it is encouraging to note the appeal made by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) Chairperson, Justice Esau Chulu, on the need for all political players to be allowed to campaign freely without intimidation.

Mr. Cheembe however noted that some political stakeholders have complained over intimidation and lack of a free space to conduct their campaigns and called political players to be more tolerant to one another.

He said it is of paramount importance that the people of Zambia, who during this campaign season are masters, are given an opportunity to listen to messages, ideas and manifestos that their various political leaders are putting forward.

He said that the Public Order Act (POA) must allow for peace and facilitate for the enjoyment of basic freedoms of assembly, association and expression.

He also said ECZ Chairperson must be commended for calling on the Police to apply the Public Order Act fairly and ensure that all perpetrators of political violence irrespective of political affiliation are prevented from disturbing the peace.