3DISQUALIFY LAW BREAKERS …DNA TELLS ECZ

By KETRA KALUNGA THE Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) should disqualify candidates who will abrogate the ban on campaign rallies ahead of the August 12 elections, stakeholders have said. The stakeholders said people’s lives should not be endangered and the ECZ held to ransom because of a few “selfish politicians.” Lusaka lawyer, Tutwa Ngulube said the power to stop gatherings during an election lies with ECZ and no one, not even the courts of law could challenge them. Mr. Ngulube said ECZ mandate to stop political gatherings could only be challenged through an amendment of the constitution. He said in an interview with the media that the ECZ have the power to even postpone an election as an autonomous body mandated by the Zambian constitution to conduct elections. Mr. Ngulube, who is former deputy parliamentary chief whip, said the ECZ could even squeeze the campaign period because the law gives them power to do so. “The mandate to conduct elections under the Zambian constitution has been given to an autonomous body called ECZ, they are the only organ who can decide when, where and how elections should be conducted,” he said. Mr. Ngulube also said ECZ had powers to suspend or penalise political parties that would decide to go ahead with the public rallies. And Zambian DNA spokesperson Spuki Mulemwa said the ECZ directive to ban rallies was backed by law, and that no political party or   leader should hold the country to ransom by defying the ban and endangering people’s lives with impunity. He said no party or politician was bigger than Zambia. Mr Mulemwa called on the ECZ to ban those flouting public health guidelines from participating in the August 12 polls.