By Mubanga Mubanga
Chief Electoral Officer Brown Kasaro says the commission has not introduced anything new in the upcoming by-elections to disadvantage or disenfranchise any political party as alleged by Citizens First (CF) and the Given Lubinda led Patriotic Front (PF) faction.
Kasaro said the requirement for the adoption certificates of candidates sponsored by a political party to bear both the signature and full names of the party president or secretary general is for clarity.
Through a press release last week Wednesday, The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) notified political parties of the upcoming by elections for Mayembe ward of Shiwangandu district in Muchinga, Kayo ward in Mwanasabombwe district of Luapula and Kapamba wards ward in Mpika district of Muchinga Province, slated for January 23, 2024, while nominations for the same will be conducted on December 19, 2023.
The ECZ stated that adoption certificates of candidates sponsored by a political party should bear both the signature and full names of the party president or secretary general among other requirements.
But CF president Harry Kalaba said the party was concerned with the ECZ’s introduction of the requirement for the adoption certificate of candidates sponsored by political parties, to bear the names and signature of party president or secretary general.
He said it was clear that the inclusion of this requirement by the ECZ is intended to disenfranchise some opposition political parties.
In the same vein, the PF wrote to Kasaro demanding that the rules set by the commission for upcoming by-elections be set aside.
PF secretary general Raphael Nakachinda stated that the measure had been noted as one targeted at PF to allow the formal recognition of Miles Sampa by the ECZ.
Nakachinda stated that the requirement does not have the backing of the law.
He stated that PF had considered the provisions of the Electoral Act Number 35 of 2016 and had not found any provision that required the candidates to produce certificate endorsed in the manner suggested in the publication by the ECZ or indeed any provision that confers powers on ECZ to issue circulars like the one presently being addressed by their letter.
“On that basis of the foregoing, we strongly demand that you withdraw the publication which is currently doing rounds in the public media and specifically remove from it the requirement of the signatures of the very high ranking members of the parties as a way of authenticating the certificate,” said Nakachinda.
When contacted by Daily Revelation on the above concerns, Kasaro said notice sent out to political parties on the upcoming by-elections is meant for clarity and not disadvantage anyone.
Kasaro explained that when a candidate declares that they are sponsored by a political party, they are required to submit an adoption certificate from a particular political party.
“So essentially the notice is really to add clarity, I mean when someone writes an official document, you don’t just write…you include your name and title of that official document that you signed. So really it is things that are already happening,” Kasaro said. “So the whole idea from the commission is to add clarity, for anyone to think that we are disadvantaging anyone we don’t see where it arises. Even if you as Daily Revelation to write a letter to another institution, if your MD was to write a letter to another institution, would they just sign it as managing director or they put their name?”
Kasaro also said ECZ will not concern itself with internal issues of political parties but its role of managing elections as well as receiving the nomination.
“Not necessarily …not really, I mean not all …because I think from our end, I think those issues first of all are internal to themselves. We as ECZ are there to manage elections and ours is to receive the nomination and conduct the elections. So really like I said, the adoption certificate has always been there, not that the commission is introducing anything new,”
Caption on the picture: ECZ chief electoral officer Brown Kasaro speaking and Commission chairperson Mwangala Zaloumis (centre), commissioners Ndiyoi Mutiti and McDonald Chipenzi listen in during the ECZ engagement with media heads at Pamodzi Hotel recently.
