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Airtime must be provided on ZNBC for presidential candidates to discuss their manifestos - Nawakwi

Airtime must be provided on ZNBC for presidential candidates to discuss their manifestos - Nawakwi
By Kombe Chimpinde
Sun 06 Mar. 2011, 04:01 CAT

EDITH Nawakwi says airtime must be provided on state television for presidential candidates to discuss their manifestos because President Rupiah Banda has been clearly articulating the MMD manifesto in his campaign adverts. Nawakwi's remarks come in the wake of President Banda's adverts, which have been running on Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation.

In an interview, Nawakwi, who is the FDD president, said it was amazing for President Banda to rush into preaching free and fair elections and inviting international election monitors and yet he was busy creating an advantage for himself.

Nawakwi said a free and fair election entailed openness and fairness among players coupled with proper electoral laws.

“We have already seen the slow issuance of NRCs because of lack of funding and that is where elections start being unfair because people are automatically disefranchised. The President is already campaigning on a daily basis on national TV to our exclusion,” Nawakwi said.

“He is not talking about government programmes in those adverts, those are political adverts while the ECZ Electoral Commission of Zambia is sitting and allowing one person to benefit. Those adverts are paid for by we the taxpayers because we contribute levy.”

Nawakwi said statements uttered by President Banda in his campaigns were sheer politicking as opposed to stating government programmes.

She said free and fair elections were a function of a proper and transparent electoral process and not observers and mere rhetoric.

“We cannot rely on people who will only be invited to observe elections for a day or two and at the end they leave the country. Free and fair elections are a function of the electoral process which starts from registration to the actual day the poll is cast and votes counted,” Nawakwi said.

She said a free and fair election would not be attainable if the advantage of incumbency was used to monopolise the process leading to elections even with international observers.

“We have pending issues of electoral reforms. There are still a lot of loose ends,” she said.

Nawakwi said there was need to resolve pending issues as opposed to rushing to invite election monitors.

Labels: 2011 ELECTIONS, EDITH NAWAKWI, POLITICS

posted by MrK @ 7:26 AM