Sat, 16 Sep 2017 10:27:56 +0000
By Kalobwe Bwalya
THE PATROTIC Front party has scooped eight seats out of the eleven contested council and ward by-elections in the just ended local government elections.
Opposition UPND won three wards in its traditional strongholds.
According to results obtained by the Daily Nation yesterday PF has won in Kanchibiya, Lunte, Lupososhi and Chilanga constituency both in chairperson category and ward councilor, while Itezhi Tezhi, Zambezi West and Liuwa constituencies have gone to UPND.
Mr Simon Chanda who contested on PF ticket as council chairperson in Lunte constituency polled 3, 471, votes to win the seat, followed by his closest rival an Independent, George Chikwanda, who scored 1,550 votes, while, Lazarus Chongo of UPND came third with 1, 340 votes.
Mr Mwansa Chipalo is the newly elected Chairperson for Kanchibiya, the party has also won in Lavushimanda, including Chama, Bwacha, Mufulira and Luashya and in Chilanga constituency Chimanja ward where PF got 486 while, UPND got 373 votes.
The UPND scooped the Itezhi -Tezhi chairperson seat after it scored 7,215 votes, against PF’s candidate who only managed 2,188. In Libonda ward of Liuwa constituency UPND poured 1, 497 , against 841 for PF while in Zambezi constituency , Mpindi Kakonga ward got 1, 269 while PF scored 663 votes.
Meanwhile, Secretary General Davies Mwila has congratulated the ruling party on its victory in the just-ended local government by-elections.
He said the resounding the victory was a clear testimony of the confidence the Zambian people had in the leadership President Lungu and the Patriotic Front government.
Mr Mwila has assured the Zambian people that the party had placed great value on the confidence of Zambians and promised to continue handwork by way of improved service delivery across the board.
“On behalf of President Edgar Lungu and the entire Central Committee, I wish to salute the PF for registering great victory in the local government by-elections held on 14th September 2017.
Besides winning, we have managed to reclaim the Mufulira and Chilanga wards from UPND. “This victory is also for the hard-working members who campaigned on issues and convinced our people that PF was indeed a government of the people,” said Mr Mwila.
Mr Mwila also said the support for the party is on the rise particularly Itezhi Tezhi, while Copperbelt, Northern and Muchinga Provinces remains unshaken, adding that the just ended by-election results are a clear demonstration that the party was a pro-poor party and on the ascendancy because of the type of leadership being provided.
“People in these areas continue to demonstrate their confidence in the PF, as the only organisation that can deliver to their expectation and all we must appeal for to all elected and serving officials is that we dare not disappoint them”, he said.
