By KETRA KALUNGA
ELECTIONS should not be mistaken for a battlefield where the goal is to annihilate the opponents, Socialist Party (SP) President, Fred M’membe has said.
Dr. M’membe said this following attacks on the party parliamentary candidate in the Kabwata parliamentary by-election, Tripher Ng’andu and his campaign team in Kamunga ward by suspected UPND cadres on Saturday.
And Dr. M’membe has condemned the UPND failure to respect the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) campaign timetable and has officially written to the commission over the matter.
He said in an interview that the party would not be restrained by the violent attacks which he described as evil, unfair and unjustified.
Dr. M’membe said the UPND are shaken by the growing popularity of the SP hence the violent attacks targeted at the party as seen from the Kaumbwe, Lufubu, Sokontwe and Milenge by-elections.
“Wherever we have done well we have been attacked by the UPND. It happened in the Kaumbwe parliamentary by-election, Lufubu Ward, Mwansabombwe by-election and recently in the Sokontwe Ward Milenge by-election,’’ he said.
He said the attack on Mr. Ng’andu and his campaign team was the second in a week that happened in the presence of the media.
And Dr. M’membe said SP is disappointed with the UPND’s lack of respect for the ECZ time table as they have deliberately failed to stick to its campaign time table.
He said that the ruling party was displacing opposition political parties in areas where as per ECZ timetable they were supposed to be. The SP has officially complained about this to the ECZ.
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