By SAM PHIRI –

THE FORUM for Democratic Alternatives (FDA) has called on political party leaders to calm their supporters ahead of the final announcement of the January 20, 2015 Presidential Election.
FDA General Secretary Wesley Miyanda has advised other political party leaders to remain calm and let the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) do its job without being interfered with by anybody.
Mr Miyanda said leaders of political parties should desist from issuing alarming statements in the media and that they should not start celebrating before results were officially announced by the ECZ.
He said politicians must be weary that premature celebrations could be disappointing if results came in favor of a different candidate.
Mr Miyanda commended the Zambian people for showing the world again that it was indeed a Christian Nation by voting peacefully in Tuesday’s presidential by-election.
Mr Miyanda added that Zambians should continue to embrace each other despite belonging to different parties.
Mr Miyanda further said the peace the country is enjoying should continue even after the winner of the election is announced.
Mr Miyanda has however cautioned online media publications to stop misleading the Zambian people by publishing unconfirmed election results.
Meanwhile, Mr Miyanda appealed to other candidates to accept the outcome of the results, adding that there can only be one winner in an election of this nature.
He also said depending on the outcome of the election results, the FDA intended to embark on a vigorous campaign aimed at putting up structures across the country in readiness for the 2016 General Elections.