Maravi

Nakonde MMD, PF cadres in near punch-up

Nakonde MMD, PF cadres in near punch-up
By Moses Kuwema in Nakonde and Roy Habaalu in Magoye
Tue 29 Nov. 2011, 13:20 CAT

THERE was a near punch-up between MMD and PF cadres at the Council Guest House in Nakonde yesterday when an MMD cadre went to the polling station with a vehicle that had MMD posters on it.

The MMD cadre identified as Chris Banda went with the MMD vehicle to the polling station, a move that angered the PF cadres who demanded that the vehicle leave the premises. After a heated argument between the two parties, Banda finally left.

And a random check at most polling stations in the early hours of yesterday revealed that few voters had turned up to cast their votes in Nakonde.

At the council guest house polling centre which is in the central business area of Nakonde, people were spotted around 06:00 hours turning up to cast their vote.

Most presiding officers talked to expressed concern at the low turnout but were optimistic that the situation would improve as the day progressed.

At Mwenzo polling station which is on Mbala-Nakonde road and has about 1,000 registered voters only recorded 86 voters by 07:30 hours.

At Musanza Basic School polling station, only 20 voters had turned up to vote out of the 500 plus registered voters.

The presiding officers attributed the poor turnout to the farming season, saying most people preferred going to the fields to cultivate.

"You know this is the farming season and most people would rather go out to cultivate than come here to vote but we are hoping probably after 12:00 hours yesterday the situation will change," they said.

Nakonde has over 40,000 registered voters and more than 60 polling stations.

The political parties taking part in the by elections include the Patriotic Front who have fielded Abel Sichula, MMD has fielded George

Sinkala, with UNIP and FDD fielding Kennedy Simbeye and Kingfred Siame, respectively.

The by-elections in Nakonde were necessitated by the death of PF candidate Colonel John Siame prior to the September 20, 2011 general elections.

Meanwhile, voting in the Magoye by-elections opened on a slow note as most people opted to go and cultivate their fields.

A check at St Michael Basic School in Chivuna around 8:30 hours found that only 100 people had cast their votes.

At Chivuna Basic School, the turnout was poor as most people were seen ploughing their fields along the road.

Presiding officer David Chisangano said he expected the turnout to improve in the afternoon after people returned from their fields.

Magoye Basic School which is the largest polling centre with 1,450 registered voters had a few people just before the opening of the voting centre.

At Upper Ngwezi Basic School, polling assistants and a police officer were found outside the classroom waiting for people to attend to.

Alex Masilani, the presiding officer, said the heavy rains experienced in the area the previous night had contributed to the low turnout.

"Yesterday (Sunday) and the other day, it rained so people are excited and woke up in the morning to go and cultivate because there has been a dry spell of late. People want to ensure that their fields are attended to. In the afternoon, I am sure we'll have more people coming to vote," said Masilani.

Labels: CADRES, MMD, NAKONDE, PF

posted by MrK @ 7:01 PM