By Isaac Zulu
The issues of electrical integrity and democracy have heavily come to the fore during this electoral season, with potential risks that things could worsen if not quickly addressed.
Disturbing instances have happened during the entire electoral season, more especially in the recent few weeks where violent clashes involving UPND cadres and the NRPUP were captured on video and images for all to see. According to the narration from NRPUP leader Brian Mundubile, the chaos in Western Province emanated from the UPND camp who sealed off the road for his motorcade after they had gone to pay a courtesy call on the traditional leadership in the area. Mundubile said the UPND cadres then unleashed a hailstorm of stones towards his motorcade and people in his entourage, which forced them to react. From the available videos, those in Mundubile’s entourage were seen picking up guns and shooting in the air, while others retaliated by throwing stones.
Just a little while after the incident happened, President Hichilema issued his own statement denouncing the violence.
“Let it be clear that violence, intimidation, or lawlessness by any political party, candidate, or supporter will not be tolerated. Every political party has the lawful right to campaign within the period allocated by the Electoral Commission of Zambia. Anyone who attempts to disrupt or prevent that process is breaking the law and must face the full consequences,” stated President Hichilema. “We therefore call upon all political parties and their supporters to conduct their campaigns peacefully, responsibly, and within the confines of the law. Let us protect the peace, unity, and democratic values that define our nation.”
However, the statement did not seem to be equivocal enough from the Head of State as it ‘vaguely’ just denounced the violence without even mentioning names of the parties which were involved in the violence or the region where the same happened.
Just the following day, another incident happened in Mongu where police fired teargass into a rally that was being hosted by Mundubile and his campaigns.
The government, through Home Affairs minister Dr Dickson Matembo and his Ministry of Information counterpart Thabo Kawana reacted by claiming that the opposition had hatched a plan to create an impression of violence in Northern-Western, Western and Southern provinces, which have been the President’s traditional strongholds in order to paint him black.
From Western Province, the next campaign stop for Mundubile and team was Southern Province. As they were embarking on the campaigns in the area, President Hichilema issued a statement urging the people of the Province to allow the Tonse Alliance, an alliance Mundubile is leader of, the leeway to campaign in the region freely without incidence.
But besides the issues involving Mundubile’s campaign, there have also been disturbing trends where another contender, Citizen First’s Harry Kalaba’s campaigns have been disrupted by the police in four of the country’s 10 provinces.
Daily Revelation has published accounts where on several instances, police have blocked or attempted to block Kalaba from getting into several areas during his allocated time of campaigning in those areas. They stopped him from getting into Nakonde, Muchinga Province, on the argument that the Republican President Hakainde Hichilema was going to be in the area on a Thursday, despite Mr Kalaba having scheduled to be in the area on a Monday.
There were also incidences where he was told to vacate Mansa, in Luapula Province, because the Head of State was going to be in the area. In Ndola, Copperbelt Province, police again disrupted his roadshows and tried to disrupt his rally until the very minute after Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis personally intervened with the police to allow him to proceed with his campaigns. It wasn’t the first time Mwangala was intervening to help Kalaba out with the police. Something similar happened in Mushindamo, North-Western Province, where the police insisted that he could not get into the province, until Mwangala intervened. She had also intervened in Luapula Province on his behalf. All these were happening amid the time allocated for Kalaba to be in all those regions as agreed upon in the ECZ timetable.
These issues point to the existing challenges during this electoral cycle.
Commenting on the challenges that emerged during this cycle, governance activist Macnicious Mwimba noted that the ECZ has done due diligence in the discharge of its duties, but was quick to state that the UPND administration has not provided a level playing field to all political players involved in this week’s polls.
Mwimba explained that adherence to the Electoral process schedule from the nomination period, to date, has generally been positive by most political party players, which he said adds value to the country’s democratic processes and credentials.
However, he expressed concern over what he termed “unequal playing field ahead of the General Elections, as the Head of Sate has been using his Presidential powers to disadvantage his political opponents.”
“But President Hakainde Hichileme should know that the right to vote is not a Presidential Prerogative, but a citizens civic duty and Constitutional right,” said Mwimba.
Kapiri Mposhi Pentecostal Grace Church and Ministries overseer Bishop Kalyondo explained that the pockets of electoral violence that have been recorded from the time election campaigns started is worrying
“As a Church, we shall always preach peace and unity, and shall hold our political leaders to account for that. We urge all political leaders and stakeholders to e ensure that they engage in issue based campaigns. After all, there’s always life after death,” said Bishop Kalyondo.
Zambia has generally been known as a country that has held peacefully elections, despite sporadic cases of violence which flare up during election seasons. Despite the cases of violence already alluded to in the article, including some about five deaths that have occured in electoral related violence, it’s safe to conclude that the cycle may risk worsening as the country approaches voting day on Thursday, plus the potential grievances that may arise after the voting and announcement of results.
The season calls for security agencies that will act with diligence and impartiality in arrest potential unrest and violence.
