Maravi

Sata refuses to be friends with Rupiah

Sata refuses to be friends with Rupiah
Written by Patson Chilemba and Maluba Jere
Tuesday, November 04, 2008 4:53:46 PM

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) president Michael Sata yesterday turned down President Rupiah Banda's offer of friendship, saying he could not reconcile with a person who had won a fraudulent election. And the PF has written to Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) chairperson justice Florence Mumba asking her to allow the party to carry out a voter verification exercise in 78 constituencies.

Reacting to President Banda's offer of friendship to him and other opposition leaders, Sata said he would have had no problem working with President Banda if the elections were decent, free and fair.

“I don't see what problem we will have working together with somebody in government. But if the election was won or characterised through fraud, manipulation, intimidation and electoral regulations disregarded with impunity, and where the election is manipulated by the director at Electoral Commission of Zambia, how can we work together?” Sata asked.

“The army commander was intimidating people. The Inspector General of Police was intimidating people. Mbita Chitala and Rupiah Banda announcing the victory one month before… where is the reconciliation because they knew they had fixed the election.”

Sata said he would not accept President Banda's election victory and charged that the new President was indecent. He said President Banda shamelessly abused government resources during the presidential campaigns and ECZ failed to do anything about the matter.

“He is indecent because he stole my vote glaringly,” said Sata.

On the election petition, Sata said PF was putting in place necessary ingredients before filling in the petition to challenge President Banda's election.

Asked if he was bitter at the election result, Sata said he could only be bitter if his loss was genuine.

In his address during the swearing-in ceremony at Parliament Buildings on Sunday, President Banda offered a hand of friendship to Sata, UPND president Hakainde Hichilema and Brigadier General Godfrey Miyanda, saying he did not want to rule a divided country.

And according to a letter dated November 2, 2008, Dr Guy Scott has asked the ECZ to give PF dates on which the verification exercise could be conducted.

Dr Scott stated that PF intended to carry out a verification exercise in six districts from Central Province, three from the Copperbelt and seven from Eastern Province. In Luapula Province, PF intends to carry out the exercise in two districts, three in Lusaka, three in Northern Province, seven from North-Western and seven from Western Province.

Labels: ELECTIONS, GUY SCOTT, RUPIAH BANDA, SATA

posted by MrK @ 4:55 PM