PF issues intra-party elections guidelines

ONLY those who have served at district level and comply with PF guidelines can contest the intraparty elections for any provincial position, says PF Secretary General Davies Mwila has said. And Mr Mwila has warned that the ruling party would not condone violence to characterise intra-party elections and all those found wanting will be dealt with accordingly. This is contained in a statement issued to the Daily Nation by PF media director Sunday Chanda yesterday. Speaking in Chipata where he officially launched the Party’s intra-party elections for Eastern Province yesterday, Mr Mwila said all elections in PF were guided by the party electoral regulations made pursuant to Article 68 of the party constitution. “Not everyone qualifies to stand and guidelines are very clear. You are not eligible to stand at the province if you have never served at district level. You cannot stand at district if you have never served at constituency levels and the list goes on. You cannot just come from being an ordinary member to contest at province, district, constituency ... That is now how the Patriotic Front operates. So I urge all aspiring candidates to familiarise themselves with election guidelines,” Mr Mwila said. Mr Mwila has since called on all aspiring candidates to familiarise themselves with the party’s electoral regulations Sections 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6, 6.7 and 6.8 respectively pursuant to Article 68 of the Party Constitution. Mr Mwila further called on the national elections committee to comply with the party electoral regulations. And speaking at the same meeting, PF member of the central committee Yamfwa Mukanga read out the party electoral regulations pursuant to Article 68 of the Party Constitution. Mr Mwila was reacting to reported clashes among PF cadres from Chawama Constituency in Lusaka yesterday. He said he was disturbed with reported clashes among PF members in Chawama yesterday and warned that all those engaging in violent activities would not be spared. Mr Mwila said violence must never be associated with democracy, adding that intraparty elections were designed to strengthen the party. “PF shall NOT condone indiscipline in the Party. Our intra-party elections were never designed to weaken our in-built democracy but to strengthen it, “The reported violence involving cadres from Chawama Constituency in Lusaka today is an affront to democracy and will not be condoned by the party,” Mr Mwila said. He therefore called on the Police to bring all perpetrators of violence to book and directed all members of the party with information to cooperate with the police.