Protect voters from party cadres - YALI

THE police must be vigilant and ensure that the electorate is not harassed by cadres in today’s Sesheke parliamentary and seven local government by-elections, Young African leaders Initiative (YALI) president Andrew Ntewewe has charged.

Mr Ntewewe in an interview with Daily Nation yesterday said there was need for the electorate to participate freely in the by-elections without intimidation from political cadres.

Mr Ntewewe said “we do not want to see cadres beating up electorates to restrain from them participating in the by-election.

He said it was prudent that the police protected the electorates so that they could elect a candidate of their choice.

Mr Ntewewe said it would be unprofessional for the police to fail to protect people who wanted to choose a leader through the ballot.

The police must bring to book any cadres regardless of their political affiliation who will be found wanting for perpetrating such acts, Mr Ntewewe said.

“We call on the police to ensure that they protect lives, they protect citizens that are supposed to come out tomorrow “today” to go and vote for their preferred candidates in the by-elections,” Mr Ntewewe said.

Mr Ntewewe also bemoaned the violence that characterised the campaigns in Sesheke ahead of today’s parliamentary by election.

Mr Ntewewe called on Zambians to ensure that the legal reforms were tabled before Parliament which would help to curb the scourge.

Mr Ntewewe said legal reforms would help to give powers to the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to be able to act decisively on perpetrators of violence in an election.

Mr Ntewewe said “if the ECZ was given powers it would be able to cancel an election when violence characterised or able to disqualify candidates that were involve in the act.