Maravi

PF to train 12,000 polling agents

PF to train 12,000 polling agents
By Moses Kuwema in Mazabuka and Ernest Chanda in Lusaka
Mon 04 Apr. 2011, 04:01 CAT

WYNTER Kabimba says PF intends to train over 12,000 polling agents to monitor the elections across the country. And Kabimba says it is illegal for the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to continue receiving public submissions on the delimitation of constituencies after the Constitutional Bill had fallen off in parliament.

During Radio Mazabuka’s Live Wire programme on Saturday, Kabimba, who was flanked by party vice-president Dr Guy Scott, said he was happy with the groundwork that PF members had done across the country.

“We have done enough ground work, we are defeating the MMD this year. There is no way we are losing no wonder the MMD are panicking,” said Kabimba who is PF secretary general.

“We have never seen them panic like this before. MMD is losing this year’s elections hands down.”

“We want to make sure that we manage our votes. We have badly managed the votes in the past by not having the physical presence of PF members at polling centres. It has been difficult to tell where the stealing has taken place from, but this time around we have enough manpower, we have recruited enough members, the party has grown so we are able to manage each polling centre by having at least three members,” he said.

Kabimba said President Rupiah Banda did not understand the parallel vote tabulation (PVT).

“President Banda does not know what PVT is all about because his examples of countries where PVT was conducted are wrong; Ivory Coast and Kenya. You are dealing with a President who has no idea what he is talking about. He needs to be advised correctly,” he said.

Speaking on the same programme, Dr Scott said Zambians had been very generous with the MMD by keeping them in power for the last 20 years and that it was time people woke up.

Dr Scott said the PF would only accept defeat in this year's elections only when the results of the Electoral Commission of Zambia would be consistent with what their agents would have.

He said the PF's support in Mazabuka was growing as most people had joined the party.

After the radio programme, the two leaders addressed PF members at Mweka guesthouse, where PF provincial vice-chairperson Charles Hamududu said the party leadership in the area was working hard to ensure that the PF existed in all the corners of Southern Province.

And Kabimba, during a briefing at the PF secretariat in Lusaka yesterday, said the ECZ was abusing public resources on an illegal exercise.

“There is no legal provision for the exercise that ECZ has continued to do. We know that they were banking on the success of the Constitution of Zambia Bill in parliament, but even then, they had no legal basis to help MMD with assumptions,” Kabimba said.

“The only legal provision they have now is to alter the boundaries of constituencies, not getting public submissions on delimitation. Which law are they using now since the constitutional bill has fallen off? How can they spend public funds in anticipation of some future event? They are breaking the law in the same manner they said it is illegal for any organisation, other than them, to announce election results.”

And Kabimba has warned MMD cadres threatening the life of PF leader Michael Sata that they would not have it easy.

Labels: 2011 ELECTIONS, GUY SCOTT, PF, VOTERIGGING, WYNTER KABIMBA

posted by MrK @ 5:28 AM