IT was on this space last week when we praised the ruling party, the Patriotic Front (PF), for conducting ‘peaceful’ elections for Lusaka District.

That election exercise was conducted from a volatile background where perceived ‘rival’ cadres within the party threatened to ‘sort each other out’.

Even when we declared those elections peaceful, traces of violence that could have plunged the whole exercise into an ugly chaotic one were ignored.

The elections of Lusaka City Council Deputy Mayor Mulenga Sata as party chairperson ultimately brought about unity and peace to the ruling party in Lusaka.

Today, we report the opposite, however, following wrangles that charaterised Mufulira PF District elections yesterday.

We condemn the violence that characterised yesterday’s district polls in Mufulira, as it was such inconsistencies that tend to give the opposition ammunition to dart at them.  COMMENT

It is only by holding peaceful intra-party elections that the PF would showcase their prerequisite to fulfill national democracy.

If reports that confusion at the Mufulira District polls erupted because of two different lists of illegible voters, then, there is need for serious disciplinary measures to avoid such occurrences in the future.

The danger of scenes like this one, if left unchecked, could be that opponents would seriously doubt the ability to replicate fair and transparent management of national matters.

Like we pointed out last week that internal elections had in the past left some political parties fractured and divided, the PF should guard against that.