UPND president Hakainde Hichilema yesterday said the people of Zambia should now judge who is more popular in the pact between UPND and PF following the victory in Chilanga Constituency.

Mr Hichilema was responding to sentiments by the PF leadership that UPND holds a smaller number of seats in Parliament compared with PF and should accept the junior position of vice-presidency in the pact.

Mr Hichilema said while some leaders in the pact had stated that UPND was smaller, the people of Zambia had spoken through the vote in Chilanga Constituency parliamentary by-election.

“Our position as UPND is that the people of Zambia should judge whether we are small or not like the people have Chilanga Constituency have done. We will not engage in a popularity contest with our colleagues in PF,” Mr Hichilema said.

He said UPND would operate on the understanding that partnership was based on equal weight of trust and mutual respect as opposed to antagonism based on power struggle.

The PF, through its vice-president Guy Scott claimed in an analysis recently that UPND should hold a small stake in the pact formed last year because it lacked numbers in Parliament in comparison with PF.

Mr Hichilema said the PF put up a good performance in Mpulungu and was confident that the seat would go to the pact next year.

He said the pact should fight hard to ensure that it wion the presidency next year so that it could rule Zambia instead of competing for superior positions in the pact.

Mr Hichilema said UPND worked hard to ensure that its candidate Cosmas Moono emerged victorious by holding door-to-door campaigns before it started public rallies.

Asked why his party shunned the Newsmakers Forum which is organised by their allies, the Press Freedom Committee of the Post newspapers, Mr Hichilema said they resolved never to participate in public discussion programmes where the MMD was featuring to avoid violence.

[Times of Zambia]

The ruling Movement for Multi party Democracy (MMD) national chairperson, Michael Mabenge has described the ruling MMD’s loss in the Chilanga parliamentary by-election as shocking.

And Mr. Mabenga said there is need to investigate the cause of the party’s loss in the Chilanga by-election.

Mr. Mabenga who is also Lands Deputy Minister said that there is need to search deeply into what really brought about the party’s loss in the just ended elections.

He said there is a lot of work that was invested in preparing for the MMD’s candidate, Keith Mukata and the loss is surprising.

The Deputy Minister said that everything needed, was put in place for the MMD to secure back its seat and the loss is therefore something that should be taken with a lot of seriousness.

Mr. Mabenga also indicated that it is almost unacceptable and difficult to understand how the MMD could have just lost the seat, considering all the preparations that were made ahead of the Chilanga by-elections.

He also said that the MMD’s recorded win in the just ended by-elections shows that President Banda is not a liar contrary to some of the remarks that his critics have been making.
[ QFM ]

President Rupiah Banda is elated that the MMD has retained the Mpulungu Parliamentary seat and it has given his party a gate way to the Northern Province.

Mr Banda, however said its sad that the MMD has lost the Chilanga Parliamentary by-election to the UPND.

Mr Banda has congratulated the UPND for scooping the seat.

Meanwhile, the President said he does not regret the expulsion of former Chilanga MP Ng’andu Magande from the MMD, as the party still has many MPs.

Mr Banda was speaking to journalists at Lusaka’s City Airport shortly before he left for Eastern Province.

The President has flown to Chipata to commission newly constructed houses for police officers.

And President Banda said lack of accommodation is a cross-cutting problem.

The President pledged government’s commitment to address the shortage of housing in the country.

He said he is happy that efforts to end the accommodation crisis among police officers are bearing fruits.

Mr Banda is accompanied by first Lady Thandiwe, Home Affairs Minister Mkhondo Lungu and other senior government officials.
[ ZNBC ]

The Ruling MMD has retained the Mpulungu parliamentary seat in yesterday’s tightly contested by-elections.
Returning officer Charles Nyirongo declared the MMD candidate Given Mung’omba as the duly elected Member of Parliament for Mpulungu at about 11:20 hours after polling 5,003 votes.

PF’s Freedom Sikazwe came second with 4,419 votes and in a distant third place was National Restoration Party’s Alex Mwazya who polled 331 votes.

UNIP’s Germanico Simusokwe came fourth with 112 votes while Alliance for Democracy and Development candidate Chilowela Sinyangwe came last with a paltry 62 votes.

The Mpulungu seat fell vacant following the death of former Member of Parliament Lameck Chibombamilimo.

And SACCORD information officer Obby Chibuluma has described the elections as free and fair despite most voters not knowing how to vote.

He told QFM from Mpulungu that the outcome of the elections reflects the will of the people of Mpulungu.

Mr Chibuluma has since called for increased voter education.

Mr Chibuluma says as a result of some people not knowing how to vote, electoral officers were made to assist people who couldn’t read by showing them were to mark.

He has since called on the Electoral Commission of Zambia to engage various stakeholders in ensuring that there is adequate voter registration ahead of the 2011 elections.

Mr Chibuluma has further commended the Patriotic Front for conducting themselves in peaceful manner even after knowing that there candidate was losing.

And the ruling MMD has scooped the Lwingishi Ward local government by-election in Mansa District.

MMD candidate Kaole Kasuba polled 1,170 votes, beating his two rivals the PF candidate Maggie Makasa who got 864 votes and UNIP candidate Josephine Kunda who had 42 votes.

The returning officer Christopher Mumba declared Kasuba as the duly elected winner around 23.30 last night, following the by-election held yesterday.

Mr. Mumba described the polls as free and fair as there were no complaints brought to his office by any political party so far.

He told ZANIS that the turn out in the Lwingishi by-election was impressive, as people were queuing to vote as early as 05.00 hours at most of the polling stations.

He said over 2000 voters in Lwingishi turned out, compared to 700 who turned up in Myulu Ward.

Mr. Mumba said it was the hope of all the stakeholders that the people in the Lwingishi and the other wards in Mansa would turnout in large numbers to exercise their right to vote in the 2011 general elections.

The Lwingishi Ward local government seat fell vacant after MMD Councillor David Kambikiya resigned on personal grounds.

It becomes the third local government seat that the MMD has won in a roll this year through by-elections.

Mid this year, the MMD emerged winner in Myulu Ward in Mansa District and Lufubu Ward of Kawambwa District, where similar elections were conducted.

ZANIS

Three MMD polling agents and a headman of Masongoti village in Chilanga were yesterday beaten by suspected United Party for National Development (UPND) cadres at Chowa polling station during voting in the Chilanga parliamentary by-elections.

Headman Geoffrey Sikakumbi, who sustained a swollen leg and was unable to walk, narrated in an interview at Chilanga police station yesterday that some suspected UPND cadres seized him and started harassing him after he had cast his vote.

Mr Sikakumbi, 52, who is MMD chairman in the area, said the suspected cadres abducted him around 08:00 hours near Fresh Farm and questioned him on who allegedly paid him to vote.

He said he was on his way to visit his wife who is in hospital when the incident happened.

Mr Sikakumbi said because he did not give them the answers they wanted, he was beaten and later abandoned near Chilanga police station.

“They abducted me in a Pajero and wanted me to tell them who paid me to vote but when I gave them answers which according to them were unsatisfactory, they started beating me and later abandoned me near Chilanga police station,” Mr Sikakumbi said.

MMD information and publicity secretary Isaac Mulenga said in an interview that three polling agents and an MMD cadre were beaten by suspected UPND cadres at Chowa polling station.

Mr Mulenga named the three polling agents as Agness Phiri, Benson Banda and Cornelius Chanda.
He named the MMD cadre as Jarous Shawa.

Mr Mulenga said Mr Banda and Mr Chanda were replaced with George Mambwe and Nephat Mwanza.

He described the situation as unfortunate, especially that such incidents were recorded on polling day.
Meanwhile, voting in the Chilanga by-election started on a steady pace despite the isolated instances of violence.
[pullquote]“They abducted me in a Pajero and wanted me to tell them who paid me to vote but when I gave them answers which according to them were unsatisfactory, they started beating me and later abandoned me near Chilanga police station,” Mr Sikakumbi said.[/pullquote]
A check at some polling stations found that hundreds of people had cast their vote.

At Munda Wanga polling station, 320 out of the registered 1,900 had cast their vote by 10:00 hours while at Masamba Basic School 200 out of the 1,200 registered voters had cast their vote.

At Mount Makulu Basic School, one of the three streams had registered 103 out of 420 registered voters at 12:00 hours while at Kalundu Basic School over 100 people had registered at one of the four streams around 09:00 hours.

Chilanga has 20 polling stations with 26,618 registered voters.

In Chilanga, four candidates were contesting the seat and the UPND has scooped the seat.

Those were Keith Mukata of the MMD, Cosmas Moono of the United Party for National Development (UPND), Henry Silumesi for UNIP and Valerie Bwalya for NAREP.

In Mpulungu, police have arrested two people for alleged double voter registration and forging a polling agent’s affidavit.

Northern Province police commanding officer Mukuka Chewe confirmed the arrest of Robert Sikazwe and George Mazimba in Mpulungu yesterday.

“Mr Sikazwe had papers sworn in the name of George Mazimba and yet he wanted to come as a polling agent. He used an affidavit as an agent when he was not sworn in at Munsende polling station,” Mr Chewe said.

On Mr Mazimba, Mr Chewe said the suspect allegedly registered as a voter at Munsende polling station and also attempted to vote at Muzabwela polling station when he was confronted by some party cadres.

He said police will look at the electoral code of conduct and slap the two suspects with the appropriate charges.

“By tomorrow (today) they should be charged and appear in court,” Mr Chewe said.

He was, however, happy with the peaceful conduct of the people of Mpulungu during the campaigns and described it as mature.

Anti-Voter Apathy Project (AVAP) executive director Bonnie Tembo also confirmed taking the two suspects to the police.

Meanwhile, polling stations in the outskirts of Mpulungu township yesterday morning recorded a low voter turnout as compared to those in the township.

The polling station at Makola Basic School in Chibulula ward opened on time at 06:00 hours but there was no voter present.

At Mankonga polling station, only one person had voted by 06:09 hours

At township polling stations, however, there were long queues of voters at Muzabwela, Mpulungu Basic School and Niamukulolo Basic School.

Election monitors described as disappointing the low turnout of voters in the Mpulungu parliamentary by-election.

Southern African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD) information officer Obby Chibuluma said in an interview in Mpulungu yesterday that the reasons given by most people is that they are farmers and that they had gone to cultivate their fields.

Mr Chibuluma hoped, however, that the turnout would improve as the day progressed.

He was also concerned that a number of voters, especially in the rural areas, did not have information on the candidates who are contesting the seat and had to rely on the presiding officers.
He called for more voter education in Mpulungu.

Mr Chibuluma also said many people were discouraged from voting because the polling stations are far from their homes.

And Mr Tembo was happy with the voter turnout in Mpulungu township but that the number of voters who cast their votes in the outlying areas was low because many of them are farmers and were busy cultivating their fields.

[ Zambia Daily Mail ]