Maravi

(LUSAKATIMES) MMD pays for opinion polls – HH

MMD pays for opinion polls – HH
TIME PUBLISHED - Wednesday, August 24, 2011, 2:21 pm

United Party for National Development UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema has laughed at the Synovate opinion poll released yesterday predicting a Rupiah Banda victory in the forthcoming elections. Mr Hichilema says the opinion poll is just MMD propaganda.

He wonders why the MMD has been losing by-elections in the last few months if it was that popular. He has accused the MMD of paying people to issue such opinion polls in order to sway the people of Zambia on the election outcome.

Mr Hichilema says the UPND is not bothered with the opinion polls because the party is on the ground campaigning for its election victory. Mr. Hichilema has told QFM in an interview that the Zambian people will not be distracted by the opinion polls because they are determined to change government come September 20.

Yesterday , Political consultancy and research-based organisation tipped President Banda and the MMD to win the September 20 tripartite elections with at least 35 percent.

The Management Intelligence Organisation (MIO) said in its 2011 Polls Research Project the opposition will share 40 percent of the ballot, while 25 percent of the registered voters will not turn up to cast their votes for various reasons.

“RB (Rupiah Banda) and MMD will win this year’s elections with 74 MPs,” Francis Margaret Daka, an election methodologist at MIO, said in the forecast.

“Thirty-five percent of Zambian people will turn up to vote for Rupiah Banda so that he can finish the projects that are currently going on. Forty percent of Zambian people will also turn up to vote because they want the change of government. They will vote for UPND (United Party for National Development), PF (Patriotic Front), UNIP (United National Independence Party) and other political parties.”

Mr Daka said tha the forthcoming ballot will mostly be a two-horse race between the MMD and the PF, but tips the ruling party and its presidential candidate to emerge victorious.

Five stronghold provinces were sampled for each of the two political parties.

“Rupiah is going to win this year’s election by pulling 30 percent from Lusaka, 40 percent from Copperbelt, 90 percent from Eastern, 80 percent from North-Western, and Central 80 percent,” he said.

“PF shall pull 65 percent from Northern, 35 percent from Lusaka, and 50 percent from Coppebelt, Central Province six percent, and North-Western seven percent.”

Mr Daka also dispelled fears that next month’s elections will be marred by violence. He said there will be no violence in the country during and after the elections.
Mr Daka said most of the members of the MMD, PF, UPND and other parties have resolved not to fight each other, but that the ballot should speak.

MIO said the ongoing development projects initiated by the MMD government have put President Banda in a strong position ahead of the poll, in which 10 candidates are contesting the presidential slot.

“Zambians are very happy with the development which the President has put in place, which is now trickling down to the less-privileged people. Most people doubted the projects, but now are convinced that they are serious projects. Everywhere you go, you see development taking place,” MrDaka said.

He observed that while the UPND has in recent elections been recording sweeping wins across Southern Province with open-ended margins, the tables are now changing in favour of the MMD, with most southerners generally conceding that their ‘home’ party has no chance this time around.

“People from Southern (Province) have made their mind that they will love to vote for Rupiah Banda because on HH (UPND president HakaindeHichilema) they have been wasting their votes. This time they will get it right first time by voting for MMD. They know that HH can’t win this year’s election,” he says

Labels: HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, MMD, UPND

posted by MrK @ 12:30 AM