Zambia’s ‘Fraudulent Elections’ worry Socialist Party – Zambia

Dr. Fred M’membe is Socialist Party (SP) – Zambia President

FRAUDULENT BY-ELECTIONS

The by-elections that are being held by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) are nothing but a fraud, a waste of money and time.

We have been participating in these by-elections since 2021 and experiencing the same violent and fraudulent conduct by the United Party for National Development (UPND), which the ECZ and police don’t seem to be able to do anything meaningful about.

We have been victims of UPND violence in most of these by-elections, but we, the victims, have ended up being arrested and detained by police but never prosecuted. We have reported many incidents of UPND violence against us to police but not a single arrest or prosecution to date.

We have been attacked by UPND cadres in front of police officers and even in a police post, but no arrests and prosecutions. The police can’t act against UPND violence. But they are very quick to arrest us when we try to defend ourselves. For instance, in the ongoing Mayembe Ward by-election campaigns, UPND cadres, with the support of Ministers Elvis Nkandu and Elias Mubanga, have erected a barrier on a public road in full view of the police and they search Socialist Party and PF motor vehicles and confiscate whatever they want with impunity.

We have complained to the police but nothing has been done. Last evening, Socialist Party members were stopped at this barrier and harassed in full view of the police. What did the police do? They released teargas cannisters on our members – the victims.

The UPND leaders and cadres do as they please. They have no respect for ECZ campaign timetables. They go where they want, even if it is not their day to be there. Complaints are made to ECZ, but nothing changes. They take over government buildings and set up their campaign camps there with impunity. They use government motor vehicles in their campaigns. They simply remove the registration plates.

District Commissioners, who are civil servants, are always part of their campaign teams, using government motor vehicles, often with registration plates removed.

In Mayembe Ward, the DC for Shiwang’andu is part of Ministers Nkandu and Mubanga’s campaign team. The DCs for Mpika, Kanchibiya, and Lavushimanda are campaigning for UPND in Kapamba Ward.

Buying votes is seen as something normal by the UPND. Minister Nkandu does it openly, he doesn’t hide, and he has earned himself the name of Tantameni.

But the UPND hasn’t learned something from the PF who used to ‘win’ almost all the by-elections they engineered but lost all in the general elections!

There’s a total collapse of the electoral system. It’s a total fraud – they are not free, fair, and peaceful and don’t reflect the will of the people. And if things are not corrected now, we are headed for disastrous general elections in 2026.

But this impunity, criminality and abuse of power, coupled with excitement we are seeing in the UPND leadership today will backfire very badly.

This country belongs to all of us!

Dr. Fred M’membe
President of the Socialist Party – Zambia

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