Court has confirmed MMD's electoral malpractices - HH

Court has confirmed MMD's electoral malpractices - HH
By George Chellah
Sunday April 22, 2007 [04:00]

UPND president Hakainde Hichilema yesterday said the nullification of two MMD parliamentary seats by the Lusaka High Court is just a tip of the iceberg on various electoral malpractices that occurred during last year's general elections. And PF president Michael Sata said the courts where now vindicating him over his statements that the last elections were fraudulent.

Commenting on the nullification of the election of MMD Nalolo member of parliament Mubita Mwangala by the Lusaka High Court last Friday, Hichilema said the judgment showed the sort of malpractices in the last elections.

"This is just a tip of the iceberg of the malpractices that where in our elections. There are a number of seats where there were these malpractices. A lot of members of parliament didn't petition because of the cost of the petition," Hichilema said.

"As UPND, we didn't petition because we saw that there was no value because of a bad constitution and bad laws. There were substantial malpractices."
Hichilema said he was pleased that Zambians were pushing for a new constitution.

"There is no relenting, we will be relentless. The challenge that we must go to court clearly shows lack of political will. I am integral to the constitution fight because that's where the weaknesses lie," Hichilema said.

"Our patience should not be misunderstood for being fearful. We are not afraid of anybody. All these problems are emanating from a poor constitution, poor electoral Act and poor electoral administration."

And Sata said the courts had vindicated him. "I didn't contest the election of Levy in the Supreme Court. I have been talking about the fraudulent behaviour of ECZ (Electoral Commission of Zambia) and MMD. I have been vindicated by the courts," Sata said. "They have lost two seats so far, that's the Kapoche and Nalolo parliamentary seats. But we are waiting for a grand one... the Chilanga petitionwhere finance minister Ng'andu Magande is member of parliament."

Sata also called for the enactment of a new constitution to reduce on cases of electoral malpractices. "That's why we need a new constitution that will enforce all these subsidiary laws because when we have a strong constitution, the elections will not be manipulated," Sata said.

He said there was need for the opposition to unite now that the courts were vindicating them. "If all of us including UDA had petitioned wherever we lost, we would have found a shortcut of forcing this government out of office," he said.

The Lusaka High Court has so far nullified the election of two MMD members of parliament, Mubita Mwanagala and Nicholas Banda for Nalolo and Kapoche constituencies respectively. But there are also parliamentary seats whose election results where upheld by the Lusaka High Court. These are Nalikwanda and Milanzi constituencies, which were petitioned by Simasiku Kalumiana and Rosemary Banda.

And the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has set June 5, 2007 as date for parliamentary by-election for Kapoche Constituency in Petauke.