NGOCC protests harassment of Mafinga MP

…says a recount can only be done by way of a court order because Ms Munthali has already been declared duly and has since taken oath, warns that loss of a female MP could further undermine women representation in Parliament. By NATION REPORTER THE Non-Governmental Organisations Coordinating Council (NGOCC) has protested the continued harassment and intimidation of newly-elected Mafinga Member of Parliament who is currently in police custody after being abducted in Kitwe last week while attempts to grab her seat are going on. The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has been conducting what it has termed a verification of electoral documents with an apparent predetermined intention of nullifying the seat. Anne Anamela, the NGOCC executive director says the recounting of the votes in Mafinga was particularly concerning because Faith Munthali had already been declared winner and sworn in as a member of Parliament. Ms Anamela said the recount should not be conducted secretly and the reasons for doing it should be made public. “About the recounting, yes, we hear it is happening, but that should not happen secretly in the first place. It should be in the public domain and the reasons for the recount should be known,” Ms Anamela said. She said the situation was different when a recount was requested at a polling station immediately after votes had been counted and before a winner was declared. “But where a winner has already been pronounced, and this lady was even sworn in as a member of Parliament, so it’s strange to hear that the recounting is happening,” she said. Ms Anamela said her understanding was that once a winner had been declared, any challenge to the result should be pursued through a petition at the courts. “It has to be through a petition, through the course of law. You don’t do recounts in this manner because there’s already somebody that was pronounced winner,” she said. Ms Anamela said NGOCC was also concerned about the low number of women who won parliamentary seats in the August 13 general election. “For us, we are really concerned about the number of women that have won, because it’s only about 14 percent. So, for us to begin to lose women again, I think that is very concerning for us,” Ms Anamela said. She said NGOCC had been among the first organisations to condemn the circumstances surrounding Ms Munthali’s reported abduction and arrest, and had called for law enforcement agencies to act within the law. Ms Anamela said NGOCC would support legal recourse and urged Ms Munthali to have adequate legal representation. “Whenever things like this happen, the legal recourse should be looked at to correct what has happened. Because for now in this country, the legal route is what we have,” she said. Ms Anamela said allegations concerning Ms Munthali’s conduct before the election should be distinguished from the fact that she had already been declared and sworn in as MP before her arrest.

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