by Mingeli Palata
So there it is, scores of people on the copperbelt letting out their displeasure with the outcome of the just ended October 30th elections. Had I wrote this article a day earlier saying there are deep feelings of unsatisfaction or contempt among people in the urban areas, I would have been called sorts of names. Dear friends, for me incidents like these (which must be condemned by the way) do bring out important questions that we all must consider critically.
Comrades ours are challenging times, the world’s major markets are in turmoil, our dearest copper has low prices, Meali meal is at K75, 000.00 a bag, fuel is taxing us and our pay hasn’t changed all this in a country without a cabinet. All these are issues that make the majority of Zambians not forget the elections and go on with their lives. Every time you take a taxi and ask the driver how business is going, you are certain to get the usual complaints about money being scarce and the lost hope after the number one urban candidate lost the election.
But let’s face it, the elections are done and a recount is on; all I would say is all the best. I contend that we should be looking forward to the 2011 Elections and see how the complaints and feelings of being cheated that were expressed in the last elections are avoided in the year 2011. The question is what can we do between now and 2011 to prefect the electoral system and avoid post election complaints from stakeholders after the 2011 elections?
Wouldn’t it be nice to have candidates congratulate each other after one has won the election? Because certainly for me, the most moving, charming and gracious speech that Senator John Mccain has given to date is his conceding speech in Arizona. He spoke so well, congratulating Barack Obama for his resounding victory and assuring Americans that they have made a good decision. I thought to myself and said that is the way it is supposed to be; mature politics. 
Yet again ours is a small democracy hence so immense is the need for us to constantly engage ourselves in building and improving it. In retrospect, elections and what comes afterwards should give us an idea of how we are doing and what needs to be done to improve the process of Democracy.
The just ended elections were marred by allegations of rigging, irregularities such as people voting days later, inconsistencies in the number of registered voters and the actual voters in certain areas, the list goes on. The decision by the Electoral Commission of Zambia not to conduct a fresh registration of voters disfranchised a lot of people; you had an election where less than 4 million people chose the fate of the rest of the 10 million plus people. Arguably for the likes of HH and Sata who have a huge following among young people and those who have just come back home, they can cry foil saying a potential vote in their favour was not given an opportunity to make the choice. So yes there should be a continuous registration of voters. Voting is an important process in which all Zambians should participate, a notorious fact that cannot be over emphasized. It should be readily available and made easy for all Zambians. So let’s have continuous registration of voters.
There was also a lot of smoke still on the registration of voters, in some provinces opposition political parties feel that the numbers did not tally. There was a low turnout of voters yet the numbers are not so different from that of 2006 come on guys! That is the kind of thing that raises suspicions. Obviously since 2006 people have died and moved or even lost their voters cards, the numbers can’t obviously be the same or close to the same. Did you notice?
Who mans the register anyway? What guarantee can we have that it cannot be tempered with ghost voters? People who have died and moved voting? Something needs to be done to address such suspicions. In my opinion it all goes down to the autonomy of the Commission. To whom does the commission owe its allegiance? Wouldn’t it be better to have its independence more guaranteed? Who appoints the head of the commission? Is that something we should be thinking about while revising the constitution?
President Rupiah Banda won with not more than 5% difference in votes with Michael Sata. If you combine the UPND and PF Votes, the MMD is out numbered. The system of simple majorities does not give a country a majority President. Most leaders in these systems are a minority in that few people voted for them as compared to those who voted against them (By virtue of voting for other candidates). The essence of a democracy is that the majority wins, now you have an election with a President wining with minority votes, do you still call that Democracy? That is why countries like Zimbabwe and Kenya has the 50 + 1 system. Under this system a Presidential candidate can only be declared the winner if he or she passes the 50 + 1 mark. This ensures that the President elect is in the majority and is accepted by all players as being the one with the most votes. You will also find this line of thinking when you look at the systems in the United Kingdom and in America (With the two major political parties).
Otherwise you will have the likes of Michael Sata crying foul and hoping that a recount would overturn the tides, after all it’s only a 3%! I implore you to begin thinking about the 50 + 1 system for the next elections. That will help. Note that even the catholic fathers noted that the country is more divided after the elections than before and if you critically think about it, it’s because the majority of Zambians voted for Michael Sata and Hikainde Hichilema, if you combine the two votes, MMD is beaten by far, so the ‘majority doesn’t always win’.
