•PRESIDENT Lungu chats with Attorney General Likando Kalaluka (left) and Vice-President Inonge Wina at State House after a swearing-in ceremony yesterday. Picture by ROYD SIBAJENE/ZANIS

By JAMES KUNDA –
THE Patriotic Front (PF) will endeavour to field as many women as possible to contest Parliamentary and ward positions in this year’s tripartite elections, President Edgar Lungu has said.
Mr Lungu informed Vice-President Inonge Wina in Lusaka yesterday that he wanted at least 40 per cent of the women in the ruling party to contest party positions ahead of the August 11 Presidential and legislative polls.
He said this at State House during the swearing-in ceremony of six officials deployed in various wings of Government.
Those sworn in were Peter Chingaipe as Police and Prisons Service Commission chairperson, Jones Chinyama as chairperson of the Industrial Relations Court and Nelson Phiri as commissioner of Police
for Lusaka operations.
Others were Derrick Mulenga as Justice Chinyama’s deputy, Felix Phiri as national coordinator at the Centre of Excellence on e-governance and Information Communication Technology (ICT), and Chikula Chinyanta as public policy specialist at Cabinet Office.
Upon noticing that all the new appointees were male, the President turned to Ms Wina and jokingly asked why there were no women.
“Congratulations gentlemen. Madam Vice-President where are the ladies today? There is no one there; on this one we have failed our gender parity.
“But let me take advantage of this occasion to assure you Honourable Vice-President that as PF we are committed to gender parity, gender equality and in the elections of August 11, 2016 we will endeavour to have as many women as possible,” Mr Lungu said.
He added: “So organise me 40 per cent women, I will organise 40 per cent youths and then we will see, the rest of us can mix, no problem.”