Maravi

Chidyaka urges pact with opposition

Chidyaka urges pact with opposition
Written by George Zulu and Henry Chibulu
Thursday, December 25, 2008 10:31:00 AM

OPPOSITION UPND in Southern Province says the party’s National Management Committee (NMC) should revive discussions with stronger political parties for a pact before the 2011 general election.

And UPND has said that the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) contributes greatly to voter apathy in the nation by failing to implement continuous voter registration exercise programmes.

In an interview after a joint provincial and district executive committee consultative meeting in Mazabuka on Monday, UPND provincial vice-chairman John Chidyaka said people in the province have been calling and demanding for a pact before 2011 with a stronger opposition political party with national representation.

"UPND is a listening party. People in the province have been calling and demanding for a stronger voice and we want our leaders at the national level to consider reviving the talks they had started with the Patriotic Front but I am not necessarily saying that we are going into a pact with PF, no!" he said.

Chidyaka said that members in the province were of the view that UPND would only form the government if it incorporated other parties.

He said that the province would support the pact and its candidate and that southerners were tired and disappointed of being in the opposition.

And UPND has said that the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) contributed greatly to voter apathy in the nation by failing to implement continuous voter registration programmes.

Chidyaka said failure by the commission to implement the voter registration exercise had disadvantaged voters who had lost their voters’ cards.

He also confirmed that the NMC was handling matters of members of parliament who de-campaigned Hakainde Hichilema during the October 30 presidential election.

And speaking earlier during the opening of the consultative meeting, provincial chairman Gideon Shakalima brushed off calls by some UPND officials to hold a national convention to elect new leaders.

Shakalima said it was unacceptable to see some senior party officials calling for the party to go for a convention when they had been cheating Hichilema over the political landscape of the country.

"Let’s not cheat our young man. Let’s tell him the truth because calls to hold a convention will not help the party. Let’s examine what went wrong in the 2008 election. I am saying that we shall not hold any convention at any level of the party till after the 2011 general election," said Shakalima.

Labels: ECZ, JOHN CHIDYAKA, PARTIES, UPND

posted by MrK @ 10:31 AM