Investments in power generation will make Zambia energy secure – Ncube
By BARNABAS ZULU ZESCO board chairperson Vickson Ncube says the massive investment being undertaken in the energy sector will make the country energy secure and transform it into a…
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Kennedy Kamba accuses ECZ of plotting to rig elections
By NATION REPORTER THE Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has plotted a scheme to rig the August 13, general election using the online system, an accusation which the electoral body has denied. The National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP) and the Tonse PF Pamodzi Alliance have accused ECZ of deliberately frustrating the accreditation of opposition polling agents and allowing the ruling UPND to capture the country’s election machinery ahead of the election. The alliance has alleged that the ECZ’s online-only accreditation system for polling agents was designed to disadvantage the opposition and make it easier to manipulate the electoral process. Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance deputy secretary general for voter protection Kennedy Kamba claimed the commission had failed to put in place a fair accreditation process and was instead working to lock opposition polling agents out of polling stations. “The evidence is clear. The pattern is clear. We will not sit back and watch our democracy being stolen in broad daylight,” Mr Kamba said. He alleged that the commission intended to commence accreditation towards the end of the electoral process, a move calculated to disadvantage opposition political parties. Mr Kamba, the former Patriotic Front Lusaka Province chairman, said forcing polling agents, particularly those in rural areas with poor internet connectivity, to use an online-only accreditation platform amounted to electoral sabotage. “Large parts of Zambia have no network coverage. ECZ knows this. Forcing rural polling agents through an online-only system when there is no internet to use it is rigging by design,” he said. Mr Kamba also claimed that the ECZ had not deployed officials to begin physical accreditation across the country and accused it of misleading stakeholders by insisting the online system was functioning effectively. He also called on the commission to clarify why physical accreditation had not commenced and urged the police to investigate allegations involving civil servants accused of participating in partisan electoral activities. “The current online-only system is a tool of rigging, not reform. We will not accept an election where our agents are locked out, where civil servants are turned into UPND election riggers, where presiding officers are ruling-party cadres, and where citizens are killed for their political choices,” Mr Kamba said. But in an interview, Mr Brown Kasaro the Chief Electoral Officer said it was “totally untrue” that ECZ had put in place the online accreditation for purposes of rigging the election. “This is a totally separate system meant to help the management of the election. It was…
Are you ready for Change? Mundubile asks Zambia
By NATION REPORTER BRIAN Mundubile and his running mate Makebi Zulu yesterday arrived in Mwansabombwe to euphoric welcome and asked Zambians if they were ready for change after…
No more medas for fertiliser – HH
…promises that he is planning to expand the FISP programme that would ensure all eligible farmers would have to receive adequate fertiliser, seed packs if the UPND is voted back…
GOVERNMENT, ZAMBIA NATIONAL STEM FOUNDATION SIGN LANDMARK MOU TO ADVANCE STEM EDUCATION
The Ministry of Education has signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Zambian National STEM Foundation (ZNSF), marking a significant step towards strengthening science,…
THE ECONOMY OF ELECTIONS
The danger of being popular without a message is as dangerous as being unpopular and refusing to give up power. There are very rare and exciting moments in the…
LIGHTS ON, BUSINESSES ALIVE: THE CEC ITIMPI II SOLAR PROJECT
By BUUMBA CHIMBULU AT her modest hair salon in Lusaka’s Matero townwship, Martha Lungu starts every morning by switching on hair dryers, clippers and styling equipment before welcoming her first…
GDP rebasing to give clearer picture of Zambia’s economy
By BUUMBA CHIMBULU ZAMBIA’S ongoing Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rebasing exercise is expected to provide a more accurate picture of the country’s economy, strengthen evidence-based policymaking and boost investor…
BoZ opens Govt securities market to all investors
By BUUMBA CHIMBULU THE Bank of Zambia (BoZ) has clarified that all individuals, businesses, institutions and foreign investors are eligible to invest in Government securities, provided they meet basic account…
Campaign peacefully, political parties told
By NATION REPORTER THE Governance and Development Advocates Zambia (GODAZA) has called on political parties and their supporters to conduct peaceful campaigns, warning that insults, provocative songs and personal attacks…
