ANTI-CONVENTION PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES NOT ELIGIBLE FOR 2021

Dear Editor,

THE issue of eligibility of President Edgar Lungu to contest in 2021 is a settled one. He is eligible, he will be on the ballot paper to renew his mandate and it ends there. Let us now look at the arrogance of some opposition political parties that self-appointed themselves party presidents and now lobbying for their appearance on the ballot paper.

We wish to appeal to the Electoral Commission of Zambia to consider that Article 60 of the Constitution is religiously followed and ensure that the political parties adhere to the values of the Constitution. The electoral body must consider disqualifying candidates who will be selected by a clique or self-appointed without submitting themselves to a democratic and transparent party convention. The opposition parties through their legal representatives may have casted the first stone to undermine the integrity of President Lungu’s eligibility and enviable democratic credentials.

However, let them be warned that this is just a matter of time, their eligibility shall soon be brought into question. To Mr. Hakahinde Sammy Hichilema, the current longest serving party president, Mr. Chishimba Kambwili, Mr. harry Kalaba and others may have succeeded in self-appointing themselves as party presidents but it is just the matter of time we shall seek the authoritative guidance on your eligibility to be on the ballot.

Article 60 of the Constitution makes it mandatory to hold the regular convention and it is time they organized one. Zambia is a constitutional democracy and anyone who will not be elected at the convention must be eligible. These are the terms and conditions that must be complied with by those wishing to stand as Presidential candidates.

We urge the expert to also extend the request to ECZ not to accept nomination papers for the candidates that will not go for the party convention. MARVIN CHANDA MBERI Youth Rights Activist Lusaka