‘Set Kafue chairperson poll date’

ELECTORAL Commission of Zambia (ECZ) should set a date for holding of Kafue district chairperson by-election as nearly 70 days have passed since the incumbent announced his resignation, electoral and governance activist McDonald Chipenzi has said.

Mr Chipenzi said since the council chairperson Mr. Thomas Zulu announced his resignation nearly 70 days ago, the ECZ had remained mute and had not set a date for holding of the by-election in line with the law.

He said Article 158 of the Electoral Act stated that where a vacancy occuarred in the office of mayor, council chairperson or councillor, the town clerk or council s-ecretary of the local authority shall, within seven days of the occurrence of the vacancy, inform the Electoral Commission of Zambia, in writing, of the vacancy and a by-election shall be held within 90 days.

ECZ should come out and state the challenges it was facing in setting the date for the by-election as the seat had remained vacant for such a long period of time and almost to the end of the 90 days stipulated in the law.

''Is it that the Kafue Council Secretary has not delivered the resignation letter to ECZ within seven days as stipulated by law?

Is it that Mr Zulu did not actually submit the letter of resignation, as is the case with Kanyama Ward 10 Councillor, Mr Brighton Bilumba who despite his public announcement in the presence of President Edgar Chagwa Lungu in early last year that he had resigned from UPND, decided not to formalise the resignation?” he asked. He advised ECZ to always follow the law by sticking to guidelines as stipulated in the electoral Act.