Maravi

UNIP calls for new electoral process

UNIP calls for new electoral process
By Zumani Katasefa in Kitwe
Sat 02 Jan. 2010, 04:00 CAT

UNIP on the Copperbelt Province has urged President Rupiah Banda's government to change the current electoral process before the 2011 elections in order to provide a level playing field for all political parties that would take part in the polls.

In a telephone interview, UNIP Copperbelt provincial chairman Isaac Zgambo said the current electoral process was not favouring all political parties except the ruling MMD as it had a lot of flaws.

"The government should change the entire electoral process, it is not favourable to all political parties. Look at the way the issuance of national registration cards NRCs is being done; a lot of people who have attained the voting age are going to be defranchised because they have not obtained their national registration cards. So how do you expect them to participate in voting?" he asked.

Zgambo said it was not true that most of the national registration offices in the country had run out of material to allow the continued issuance of national registration cards.

"The government cannot fail to look for money and procure the material to allow the issuance to go on. Voting is part of development so it is important that government should look for this money and allow the issuance of national registration cards to go on," Zgambo said.

He said government was trying to play gimmicks by not procuring enough material that could be used in the issuance of national registration cards so that only a few people could register as voters in readiness for 2011 elections.

Zgambo said UNIP in 1996 boycotted the election because of the similar flaws in the electoral process like the use of NIKUV cards which the party was against.
"I know comrade PF leader Michael Sata and comrade Guy Scott will say the current electoral process is okay if they win the elections, because they were part of that NIKUV tactics, which the government of Rupiah Banda is trying to employ so that he could win the 2011 elections," he claimed.

Zgambo said the use of the intelligence officers during elections should not be allowed saying this brought about a lot of suspicion.

"Intelligence officers should not be allowed to be near any polling station or touch election materials. This has happened before, if it can happen in the urban areas what about in the rural areas where the MMD claim they have a lot of support,” said Zgambo.

Labels: ELECTIONS, ISAAC ZGAMBO, UNIP

posted by MrK @ 11:20 AM