. Dr Scott

AS the countdown to the January 20, 2015 presidential election continues, Zambia is once again on the spotlight as the whole world looks on how citizens of this Southern African country will conduct themselves.

In this period, one area of particular interest is human rights which the international community, especially Zambia’s development partners, would like to see respected.

This was echoed on Wednesday this week by Acting President Guy Scott who promised to uphold human rights as the country prepares for the presidential election in January next year.

According to Dr Scott, election time is normally a sensitive period and, therefore, it is vital to observe human rights, especially as the campaigns for next month’s election intensify.

Zambia is a signatory to various United Nations instruments, including all those dealing with the protection of human rights.

These include the 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights, which tasked authorities of any signatory nation with the duty to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms, regardless of people’s political affiliation, for instance.

Under this convention, instruments of State have the obligation not just to respect but also to refrain from interfering with or curtailing the enjoyment of human rights.

The ‘obligation to protect’ requires States to protect individuals and groups against human rights abuses at the hands of the State machinery, other persons or groups.

So far for those political parties that have started campaigning, things seem to have been going on well with them as there have been no reports of their campaign rallies being disrupted.

The United Party for National Development (UPND), for instance, has perhaps already been to all the 10 provinces of Zambia holding rallies without any incidents reported.

The same could be said of the former ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD), as well as Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) that have been holding peaceful campaign rallies in some parts of the country.

Two observations could be made regarding the peaceful manner in which these gatherings have been conducted. The first is that no individual or any group of individuals has dared to interfere with these parties’ enjoyment of their freedom to assemble and campaign freely.

In addition, this peaceful atmosphere could be explained in terms of the protection these parties have enjoyed from law-enforcement officers who have ensured that their freedom is not infringed upon.

Allowing different political parties to enjoy their right to assemble or hold rallies freely and peacefully is essentially a pre-condition to a free and fair election which the Zambian electorate have always been looking forward to.

This in turn is a guarantee that there will be no voter apathy as a large number of voters are likely to turn up to cast their ballot.

Voter apathy is directly linked to a vote that is neither free nor fair.

While we welcome the peaceful manner in which election campaigns are being conducted countrywide by the UPND, MMD, FDD, the ruling Patriotic Front and other political parties, we are equally delighted to hear the Acting President pledging to “uphold human rights as the country prepares itself to go for elections.”

Similarly, we join UN resident representative Janet Rogan in urging Zambians to fully exercise their rights and vote freely in the January 20, 2015 presidential election.

But this may largely be dependent on Zambians sustaining the current peaceful manner in which they are conducting their election campaigns.