SCOTT

By MOFFAT CHAZINGWA, SYLVIA MWEETWA and JULIUS PHIRI
CAMPAIGNS for the five parliamentary by-elections set for this Thursday have reached fever pitch, with participating political parties expressing optimism of scooping the seats.
Vice-President Guy Scott said any seat the Patriotic Front (PF) would win during the by-elections would be a bonus to the ruling party since all were previously held by the opposition.
The Vice-President was speaking in Livingstone yesterday upon arrival at Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International Airport.
“If we win one or take all five, it will still be victory to us because we are moving to areas which belonged to the opposition,” Dr Scott said.
“Our win in Mangango recently is the beginning of hope and new life for PF.”
In the Kasenengwa by-election, parties are bubbling with confidence that they will scoop the seat which fell vacant after the nullification of the election of MMD’S Victoria Kalima by the Supreme Court.
PF campaign manager Joseph Lungu said in Chipata yesterday that the party would scoop the seat.
Colonel Lungu said PF candidate Gideon Zulu was popular as evidenced by the number of developments which the Government had initiated in the constituency.
“I am very, very sure that our candidate is going to scoop Thursday’s parliamentary by-election in Kasenengwa,” Col Lungu said.
UPND national trustee Patricia Nawa said her party’s candidate Timothy Nyirenda was the most popular in Kasenengwa, which would give the party a resounding victory.
Ms Nawa said when Mr Nyirenda was MP, he fostered a number of development projects in Kasenengwa Constituency.
MMD deputy campaign manager Jacob Mwanza said Ms Kalima would scoop the seat by a landslide.
Mr Mwanza alleged that PF officials were intimidating people in the constituency and practicing vote-buying.
UNIP Eastern Province chairperson Donald Sakala said Khumbiza Daka would scoop the seat without doubt.
Meanwhile, all the three aspiring candidates in Mkushi South were sure of winning the by-election, with each promising to develop the constituency if elected.
PF candidate Davies Chisopa said once elected, he would improve water supply in the area.
Sydney Chisanga, who is re-contesting on the MMD ticket, said he was opimistic of winning the by-election while UPND’s Agnes Ng’andu said she would work towards addressing the challenges of early marriages, which had become rampant in the area.
In a related development, the Police Command in North-Western Province has said campaigns by political parties vying for the Solwezi Central and Zambezi West seats had been peaceful.
“I want to thank all the participating political parties for the mature manner they have conducted themselves so far,” Eugene Sibote said.
“They have been cooperative with us and maybe this is the reason we have not witnessed not even a single case of political clashes.”