Zambia’s electoral commission is today (Thursday) expected to begin verifying votes from last week’s presidential election making it possible for the opposition to challenge the result in court. Main opposition leader Michael Sata of the Patriotic Front party claims the electoral commission rigged the vote for the presidential candidate of the ruling Movement for Multi-Party Democracy. Rupiah Banda was sworn in Sunday after the electoral commission declared him winner of the presidential by-election to replace late President Levy Mwanawasa.

Fred Mtesa is a Zambian political analyst. From the capital, Lusaka he tells reporter Peter Clottey that the looming court challenge could strengthen Zambia’s democratic process.

“I think it is an important step in the development of the electoral process in Zambia because it means the aggrieved party has an opportunity to lay their grievances through the legal process,” Mtesa noted.

He said previous presidential candidates have challenged election results after they were defeated.

“In the first place Mr. Sata is not the first losing presidential candidate to challenge the result of a presidential election in Zambia. In 2001, three losing contestants Mr. Mazoka, Christian Tembo and General Godfrey Miyanda petitioned the results of the presidential election, and they went to court. And of course in the end, the Supreme Court of Zambia ruled that the late President Levy Mwanawasa was duly elected as president of the republic of Zambia, although the court said there were anomalies,” he said.

Mtesa said the main opposition leader is not content with the election results.

“For Mr. Sata in 2001 he did not challenge the election results, in 2006 he did complain. And it is understandable given the growing popularity of his party in the urban areas, particularly in Lusaka and the Copper Belt where he swept the votes. I think it is understandable that he feels aggrieved,” Mtesa pointed out.

He said poll observers were unanimous about the credibility of the October 30th presidential by-election.

“The election was held under very difficulty conditions, and the Electoral Commission of Zambia was called upon to prepare at a very short notice. But we had reports from monitors of the Africa Union, the SADC (Southern African Development Community) monitors and also local monitors who adjudged that the election were conducted in a free and fair atmosphere,” he said.

Mtesa said there was a need to allow the electoral process to flourish.

“It is difficult to say what the court would decide and would have to look at the evidence. And I think for now the right thing to do for every observer is to allow the due process of the law to take its course and it would be a test of the Zambia constitution and to see what would happen in the event that the court ruled that the election was fraudulent,” Mtesa noted.

Meanwhile, opposition leader Sata claims the election was marked by discrepancies between vote tallies and the number of voters on registration lists and is ready to challenge the results in court. Under Zambian law, the verification of ballots is required before an aggrieved politician can ask the court to demand all ballots to be recounted.

VOA

The Anti Voter Apathy Project (AVAP) says there is need to decentralize the Electoral Commission of Zambia in order to have an effective electoral process.

AVAP Executive Director Bonnie Tembo says there is also need for the commission to consistently build capacity among its workers to enable them handle the electoral process effectively.

Mr. Tembo told ZANIS in Lusaka today that decentralizing ECZ would result in delivering election materials and facilitate the electoral process in time adding that this would also restore voter confidence in the country.

He said noted that they were a lot of challenges in the just ended elections especially in delivering election materials on time in distant places because all the materials had to be transported from Lusaka.

And Mr. Tembo has said that the ECZ should in future consider having election materials such as ballot papers printed within the country in order to reduce on the cost of printing them outside the country.

He said the country has sufficient capacity to prepare ballot papers and other materials adding that there is need to resuscitate the government printing department.

Mr. Tembo has also urged the media to report objectively and responsibly on electoral issues in order to avoid confusing stakeholders.

Meanwhile the AVAP Executive Director has commended ECZ and the Zambia Police Service for their capacity to hold elections despite the pressure of organizing the presidential by election in limited time.

The October 30th elections in which four candidates participated was won by MMD’s candidate Rupiah Banda.

ZANIS/CM/AM/ENDS

The Zambia Consumer Association has blamed the Milling companies in the country for unjustifiably inflating prices of Mealie meal.

Executive Secretary Muyunda Lililonga said the Millers had a hidden agenda for increasing prices on the commodity saying what they were doing was tantamount to bringing down the government..

In an interview with ZANIS in Kitwe Wednesday, Mr. Lillilonga wondered why prices of the staple food were too high when the millers had bought the maize cheaply.

He explained that the millers claims that the high prices of mealie meal was due to high maize prices were unjustifiable.

Mr. Lillilonga called on the government to intervene quickly because it was too dangerous politically as majority of poor Zambians would blame the new administration of the newly elected Rupiah Banda over the prices.

He called on the millers to be partners with the government because what they were doing now after elections was not healthy.

In another development, Mr. Lillilonga has said the appreciating of the Kwacha against the united states dollars was an indication of confidence that investors had in the new government of President Rupiah Banda.

The executive secretary added that since the Kwacha had regained strength, he was hopeful that the prices of imported goods would also come down.

And ruling MMD Copperbelt MMD Copperbelt Provincial Youth Chairman Richard Mofya says there is no justification for increased mealie meal prices in the country.

Speaking in an interview with ZANIS Ndola Wednesday morning, Mr Mofya said there was no justification for retailers to increase the price of commodity without government’s authorisation.

Mr Mofya said there was need for retailers that had increased the prices of the commodity to justify their action.

He observed that there was need for all stakeholders to move in accordance to governments’ decision on prices of commodities in the country.

He said it would be the youths who will suffer most because they were unemployed and did not have a stable source of income.

Mr Mofya advised business people to be considerate to the fact that the Zambian Kwacha had started to appreciate soon after the elections hence there being no tangible justification for increasing the price of mealie.

ZANIS/PFK/CMM/ENDS/MM.

Republican President, Rupiah Banda, disclosed today that he would travel to South Africa this Saturday to attend the Heads of State and Government emergence Summit.

The President said he would brainstorm on the formulation and possibly consider announcing the new Cabinet after returning from the emergence Heads of State and Government Summit.

Mr Banda was responding to questions from journalists immediately after taking a photo shoot for his official portrait at ZANIS studios today.

“On Saturday I will be traveling to South Africa to attend the emergency AU Heads of State Summit, so when I return I will think about when to announce my Cabinet,” President Banda hinted.

He, however, reiterated his gratitude to all Zambians who rendered support during the elections.

Mr Banda was elected republican President in the October 30 Presidential elections following the untimely death of President Mwanawasa.

And President Banda says he is impressed with the manner in which the United States of America elections were conducted.

THE prices of mealie meal and other foodstuff have continued to skyrocket despite the reduction in fuel prices.

In Lusaka, the price of mealie meal has shot up from about K56, 000 to K61, 900 per 25 kilogramme bag of breakfast while roller meal has been pegged at K51,000 from K49, 000 for the similar quantity.

Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ) executive director Harrison Banda attributed the mealie meal price increases to the high maize prices.

In an interview in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Banda said the millers were getting maize at $410 per tonne, which translated into about K82,000 per 50 kilogramme bag using the prevailing foreign exchange rate.

He explained that the price of maize and its sources were a major factor in the price of mealie meal and it could not be mitigated by the reduction in fuel prices.

But Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister, Sarah Sayifwanda said that the millers should explain why they were increasing the price of the staple food when they procured the maize cheaply.

Ms Sayifwanda said there was no justification in the claim by the millers because they had been encouraged to buy the crop directly from the farmers around the country.

She said millers were supposed to be Government partners and what they were doing was tantamount to sabotage and wondered if they wanted to bring the Government down.

“The millers had caused the Food Reserve Agency to increase the maize prices from K45,000 to K55,000 because the millers were offering better prices,” Ms Sayifwanda said.

Ms Sayifwanda said what was happening was not healthy and she would convene a meeting with MAZ upon arrival from India where she was scheduled to go this week.

A 25 kilogramme of breakfast from Simba No. 1 and GBM Superior Milling was being sold between K60,000 and K61,900 in most of the shops at Northmead Shopping Centre.

Roller meal was being sold for between K49,500 and K52,500 for the same quantity while a 10 kilogramme of Gold Star and Choma Milling breakfast was pegged at K29,000 from K25, 000 in the townships.

At BP Express Shop in Longacres, a 25 kilogramme bag of breakfast was being sold for K61,000 while bread has also been increased to K4,300 from K3,900 at the same shop.

A 25 kilogramme GBM breakfast bag of mealie meal is selling at K61,900 while a 12-and-half kilogramme is going for K33, 800 at Melissa Supermarket in Northmead and Longacres’ Rendezvous Supermarket.

The price of a two kilogramme sugar has been increased from K8,000 to K10,000 while a one kilogramme packet is fetching between K5,500 and K6,000 from the initial K5,000.

All the milling companies, apart from National Milling, which was waiting for instructions from the company’s headquarters in Lusaka, have increased the price of mealie meal.

Chimanga Changa Milling Company, spokesman Auswell Nyoni said millers on the Copperbelt were forced to increase retail prices of mealie meal due to a combination of factors.

He cited the factors as the increase in the prices of bags of maize from K45,000 to K55,000 per 50 kilogramme bag, limited supplies of maize, the fluctuating exchange rate and high costs of production, among others.

Meanwhile the Central Statistical Office (CSO) said on Tuesday Zambian inflation has surged to 15.2 % year-on-year in October from 14.2 % the previous month, largely due to higher food and transport costs.

“The increase of 1.0 percentage points in the annual inflation rate was due to the increase in the cost of food, transport and hotel accommodation,” it said in a statement.

The October jump takes inflation further away from the government’s target of 7 percent by the end of 2008, as high global fuel and food prices have lifted domestic costs.

Zambia, which has vast copper reserves, had agreed to try to keep inflation within single digits and maintain a stable exchange rate in return for increased funding from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

President Rupiah Banda has vowed to continue his predecessor’s policies, including targeting low inflation.

Times of Zambia/Reuters

By Milimo Moyo in New York City, USA

The announcement was made at about 23:00 hours, Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States of America. He had achieved a stunning 333 electoral votes and counting by press time. It was the much anticipated yet spectacular conclusion to what had began as a very promising electoral race. By early evening on November 4, 2008, it was clear to people watching live coverage of the U.S. election results in New York City, that Senator Barack Obama would win the 2008 U.S. election. At 21:30, ABC News announced that Obama had won the milestone state of Ohio. It was one more significant win in addition to the ones that had been announced in the evening such as Pennsylvania, Vermont, New York, Connecticut, California and several others for the democratic candidate.

In New York City, some major news channels, CNN, Fox News and NBC had set up outdoor election-watch parties in Times Square, at the News Corp building and Rockefeller Plaza respectively. Giant screens were erected to enable passers-by to follow live coverage of the most transformational election that this country had ever seen. I went to each of these sites and the mood was electric, the excitement palpable and the applause, deafening. I was overwhelmed to be part of this important moment in history. Thousands of people of different races, ages and nationalities all gathered around to be part of an important historical event. For the first time ever, an African-American would be sworn in as U.S president on January 20, 2009. As news channels announced Obama’s Ohio win, thousands of people could be heard applauding in New York as they watched the live elections’ coverage.

“Barack Obama has changed the face of American politics forever,” declared Frank Wilson, of New York. “I cannot believe that I am here in this moment in history, this is America at its best”.

Unlike Zambia that follows the simple majority rule, the President of the United States is elected by the Electoral College and not directly by the population. Each state is assigned electoral votes based on the number of senators and representatives that state has in Congress. Each state has two Senators. The number of representatives is determined by the states population but is never less then 1. Thus small states with a small population are overly represented in the Electoral College. One candidate wins all of the electoral votes in all states except Maine and Nebraska. Their two electors are chosen by statewide popular vote and a single elector is chosen in each Congressional district. A presidential candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win the presidency. At press time, not all votes had been counted but Obama had passed the 270 mark by far. Next month, the electoral votes will be counted and finalized prior to inauguration day slated for January 20, 2009.

The impressive margin by which Obama has won the U.S. Presidency is testimony to the sheer phenomenon of the man himself. Aside from his compelling personal qualities that transcend racial, geographical and generation differences, Obama has conducted an effective grassroots campaign that has extensively utilized the internet and his community organizing experience to draw millions of Americans to his side. In a campaign that has seen him assailed by negative ads and insults from opponents, Obama has stayed above the fray, choosing to focus on the issues facing Americans rather than draw opponents into the squabbles that had become a common feature of American politics. For many people Obama’s level-headed approach, particularly amid the current U.S. economic meltdown, was the main reason why they voted for him as President.

His election proves to America and the world especially that this great country has chosen to look beyond racial and other divisions.There is every reason to celebrate the Obama Presidency – it is indeed a watershed moment in America and the world. May this provide hope to disadvantaged and marginalized people that all things are possible if you can believe it.

A cross section of Zambians have sharply condemned the Patriotic Front supporter woman who on Saturday, November 1 stripped on Independence Avenue in Lusaka’s Kamwala area in protest against the election results which indicated that MMD had taken the lead from opposition PF.

Bishop Bwanali Phiri of World Baptist Evangelist Association has said it is taboo for anyone, man or women, to expose their nakedness for whatever reason.

Bishop Phiri said in Lusaka today that Zambia is Christian nation which subscribes to high moral standards.

Bishop Phiri condemned the Women Movement for keeping quiet over the incidence as they should have been in the forefront denouncing such behavior.

And Kabwe-based citizen Richard Chella said the publication of the photograph of the woman by the Post Newspaper should be condemned by all citizens because it depicts irresponsible journalism.

Mr. Chella said responsible Journalism should be practiced by all media houses in the country.

A Ndola citizen has advised Zambia’s fourth Republican President Rupiah Banda to tackle poverty at three major levels.

Mr Humphrey Ngulube told ZANIS Ndola in an interview, Tuesday, that Mr Banda must tackle poverty in urban, rural areas and people’s consciousness.

He explained that Mr Banda’s administration must also tackle the issue of poverty of the mind which he said most Zambians had as most believed poverty was part of their livelihood.

He said there was need for the president to provide decent education by building more primary, secondary and tertiary education institutions so that more people could be equipped with skills they could use to improve their lives.

Mr. Ngulube further suggested that the President must address the issue of poverty in cities and towns by providing decent jobs, housing, food, water and medical care to all.

He said that in rural areas the President must make the areas attractive so as  to decongest urban areas.

He advised that rural areas could be made attractive by providing them with good road infrastructure, education facilities and decent health facilities.

Meanwhile, Mr Ngulube has advised opposition political parties to accept the fact that the country can only have one president at once.
He said the opposition should learn to attend to the needs of the rural population on daily basis if they were to win the 2011 elections.

He observed that people in rural areas could not accept the opposition if they only see them during the campaign period.

A Patriotic Front (PF) official in Kafue district has charged that it will be a share waste of time and resources to drag the MMD to court over the election results because the ruling party will still find ways of manipulating the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) in their favour.

Kafue District Patriotic Front Information and Publicity Secretary Anthony Kasuba said that his party on several occasions had lodged complaints to the ECZ over the misconduct by the ruling party in Chipata and the commission did nothing to re address the situation.

Mr. Kasuba said the PF will not embrace the message of reconciliation from Mr. Rupiah Banda because MMD is corrupt and believes in malpractices. He said that it was shocking to hear that Mr. Banda won the elections when in 108 constituencies the PF leader Mr. Michael Sata was leading and Haikainde also led in 17 Constituencies in Southern Province.

Mr. Kasuba however, charged that Mr. Sata would still win the 2011 general elections because the PF will come up with a strategy in rural areas to ensure that the election results are not tempered with. He added that there is no way the MMD could win elections in rural areas where people have no food to eat, roads are bad, there are no proper medical facilities and most of the youths are unemployed.

Mr. Kasuba also advised the newly elected President Mr. Rupiah Bwezani Banda not to include FDD President Edith Nawakwi, ULP President Sakwiba Sikota and UNIP President Tireyenji Kaunda in his new cabinet because they are a let down to the young democracy of the nation and are job seekers whom Zambians cannot entrust with leadership anymore.

He said in 2011 these leaders will be a laughingstock to Zambians if they stand on political platforms to speak against the ruling party. He said this is the end of Nawakwi, Sakwiba and Kaunda because they have no principles.

Mr. Kasuba further refuted that the Patriotic Front does not exist in rural areas, because this time the party had reached some far remote areas where the MMD does not exist and people there were saying they would vote for Magande.

But FDD Provincial Publicity Secretary James Musemuna said that the Patriotic Front will never govern this country because it believes in politics of character assassination. He said the FDD top leadership resolved to support Mr. Rupiah Banda for the sake of peace and continuity.

Mr. Musemuna charged that this is the end of the Patriotic Front because the party depends on one man Mr. Michael Sata. He added that the FDD is a democratic party and will very soon go for a convention to choose new leaders.

Mr. Musemuna appealed to Mr. Michael Sata to accept the results since the presidential by-election period is now over and it is time to fulfill the promises which were made during the elections.

ENDS/BS/PK/ZANIS.