. Akufuna

By CHARITY MOONGA –
THE Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has threatened to end the campaign period before the scheduled January 19 if incidents of violence and intolerance in various parts of the country persist.
ECZ public relations manager Cris Akufuna made the warning to participating political parties in the presidential election in a statement yesterday.
The Zambia police should ensure that perpetrators of violence and anyone caught abrogating the electoral code of conduct should be dealt with firmly without fear or favour, irrespective of which political party they belong to.
The commission would soon convene a meeting for all participating political parties, the church and other stakeholders to chart the way forward on what he described as “the ugly scourge” of violence.
The commission reminded political parties participating in the presidential election that it was their responsibility to restrain their members and cadres from provoking their opponents and inciting violence.
Leaders of all political parties have an even greater responsibility to lead by example by promoting tolerance and peace and setting the tone for a level playing field to ensure free and fair elections.
Elections were the only way of choosing leaders to political office and should, therefore, not be synonymous with violence.
The commission wishes to remind all participating political parties that they have a duty to ensure that their candidates, cadres and supporters abide by the electoral regulations, including the code of conduct.
Meanwhile, the commission has condemned the endorsements by some traditional leaders of some candidates, which may exert undue influence on their subjects.
The commission advised that while chiefs may be invited to political functions, they should desist from making partisan statements.
The endorsement of some candidates by traditional leaders was an abrogation of Section 129 of the Republican Constitution, which states that a person shall not while remaining a chief join or participate in partisan politics.
The commission was disappointed that the trend of endorsements had continued despite recent efforts to engage traditional leaders on the importance of being non-partisan and the need for them to desist from coercing or intimidating their subjects during campaigns, public debates or elections.
Stakeholders should conduct themselves responsibly and within the law as the country prepared for the election on January 20 this month.