‘ECZ SHOULD HAVE DISQUALIFIED UPND IN KANYAMA’

…not just suspending campaigns – Ntewewe By SIMON MUNTEMBA THE Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) should have disqualified the UPND Kanyama Parliamentary candidate than just suspending campaigns, Young African Leaders initiative (YALI) president Andrew Ntewewe has said. Mr Ntewewe said the UPND deserved a stiffer punishment for perpetuating violence which left two PF members dead than just suspending campaigns to deter would-be offenders. He was reacting to the suspension of the UPND from conducting any form of campaigns in Lusaka’s Kanyama Constituency. ECZ corporate affairs manager Patricia Luhanga said the suspension follows the escalating political violence in Kanyama Constituency in which lives of two PF supporters were lost under gruesome circumstances. Ms Luhanga in a statement said after having instituted investigations in the matter, the commission saw it appropriate to suspend the UPND from campaigning in the constituency. “The Commission has pursuant to Article 229, Sub-article 2 (e) of the Republican Constitution and Subparagraphs 4 (1) (c) (d) (i) and 11 (d) of the Electoral Code of Conduct suspended indefinitely, subject to review with immediate effect suspended all manner of political campaigns for the United Party for National Development (UPND) in Kanyama Constituency, Lusaka District,” Ms Luhanga said. She said UPND would not be allowed to conduct any form of campaigns in the said jurisdiction. In the same vein, she said, the Zambia Police should not allow any political activities by the affected party. But Mr Ntewewe who welcomed the move said disqualifying the candidate whose supporters were behind the deaths of two PF members was more appropriate. “We would have loved to see ECZ disqualifying the candidate whose cadres killed two PF members to deter would be offenders. Both criminals of these gruesome murders must be brought to book and candidates who have turned themselves into warlords, threatening the lives of citizens by tolerating their thugs to kill people must be disqualified,” he said.