MWANGALA, SIMWINGA RATIFIED AS ECZ CHAIRPERSON AND VICE CHAIRPERSON RESPECTIVELY

PARLIAMENT yesterday ratified the appointment of Mwangala Zaloumis and Ali Simwinga as Chairperson and vice chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Zambia.

Others also ratified are Patrick Kangwa as Secretary to the Cabinet, Gilbert Phiri as Director of Public Prosecutions, Tom Trevor Shamakamba as Director General of the Anti-Corruption Commission of Zambia, and McDonald Chipenzi as ECZ commissioner.

And Malole member of Parliament Robert Kalimi has advised those appointed to the ECZ to be non partisan in the interest of democracy and harmony in the electoral process.

He said the country’s democracy is anchored in the good management of  elections by The Electoral Commission and therefore the people appointed to the commission should not be partisan.

He said there is a tendency among the people to dance to the tune of those who appoint them but that should not be the case with people who have been appointed to head the ECZ.

He advised Mr McDonald Chipenzi in particular  to refrain from taking cadrerism to the ECZ, adding that he must now act professionally in order to not  dent the image the Commission.

He said it is in public domain that Mr Chipenzi is a UPND member who even applied to be adopted under the UPND ticket in Chirundu constituency and he was now being awarded for supporting the ruling party.

He said ECZ is not a place for cadres and urged those who have been appointed to do the right thing and not dance to the tune of the appointing Authority as doing so can put the country on fire.