Maravi

Referendum will be a test for levy - Sata

Referendum will be a test for levy - Sata
By Brighton Phiri
Saturday June 09, 2007 [04:00]

THE forthcoming referendum will be a vote of no confidence in President Mwanawasa’s leadership, Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata said yesterday. And Sata has alleged that President Mwanawasa and his ‘minions’ had taken the path of rigging in their favour the results of the forthcoming referendum.

And Sata has alleged that President Mwanawasa and his ‘minions’ had taken the path of rigging in their favour the results of the forthcoming referendum.

Reacting to justice minister George Kunda’s statement that the constituent assembly would only be established if 50 per cent of eligible Zambian voters cast in favour of it during the forthcoming referendum, Sata said the referendum would be the right exercise for Zambians to cast their vote of no confidence in President Mwanawasa's administration.

“This referendum will be a vote of no confidence in Mr Mwanawasa,” Sata said.
Sata said President Mwanawasa and the government could not be trusted to provide an accurate figure of eligible Zambian voters.

“Mr Kunda’s statement confirms that President Mwanawasa and his minions are
Preparing to rig the results during the referendum. If they can cheat with registered voters, how can we trust them on an imaginary figure of eligible voters?” he asked. “What is this trick of eligible voters? How are we going to determine the number of eligible voters?”

Sata said the 50 per cent requirement should be based on the registered voters instead of eligible voters.

He said if the government insisted on eligible voters, PF would take the matter to court for determination.

“Mr. Mwanawasa must remember that in 1991, the MMD demanded to use NRCs during the elections, but the courts rejected it on grounds that it could be difficult to ascertain who had voted,” Sata said.

Sata said the government’s recent outburst suggested that it had already worked out the results of the referendum, contrary to the people’s desire.

“If they can cheat us with registered voters, what makes us believe that we shall get the right results during the referendum?” he asked.

He expressed fear that the census would be manipulated considering that President Mwanawasa had announced his decision to vote against the constituent assembly.
“This is a futile exercise,” he said.

He called for continuous voters’ registration exercise.
On Thursday, Kunda challenged those calling for the constituent assembly to campaign enough to attain the threshold of 50 per cent of eligible voters during the referendum.
“If 50 per cent of the persons who are entitled to vote approve the constituent assembly, we shall go by that,” Kunda said.

When asked whether the government had taken into account apathy that characterised elections in the country, Kunda said Zambians were free to stay away from an election. Kunda said Zambians were now free to campaign for or against the constituent assembly before the referendum.

Labels: CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY, GEORGE KUNDA, MWANAWASA, PF, SATA

posted by MrK @ 3:41 AM