ZAFYAC rejects UPND electoral violation claims
THERE is no law that halts Government operations in an area where there is a by-election, says Zambia Youths Association in the Fight against Corruption (ZAFYAC) executive director Maurice Malambo has said.
Mr Malambo said claims by UPND deputy secretary general Patrick Mucheleka that distribution of relief support in the flood-hit areas and the efforts to roof a named school within the precinct of Mwansabombwe Constituency where a by- election was scheduled to take place on Thursday were a violation of the Electoral Process Act of 2006, were misplaced.
Mr Malambo said the Electoral Process Act of 2006 does not advocate suspension of Government operations in areas where there was a by-election.
"In respect to Sub-section 7(h), under the headline, Prohibit does not allow strictly any contender in an election to in any way induce a voter by provision of ACTUAL GIFTS during the campaign period.”
Mr Malambo said it was important for the UPND and others alleging violation in relation to the said conduct by DMMU and its functionaries to understand the clear distinction between a government functionary and a party functionary.
He said the DMMU is a government department and Mr. Chanda Kabwe as National Coordinator of DMMU is a government functionary or employee at the rank of Permanent Secretary, and any other members of the District Disaster Management Committee in relation to the execution of the office mandate is not a violation of any provision of the electoral process Act, 2006 or any other law during a General Election or by-election to the best of the knowledge as an organisation.
"This is so because there is no law in Zambia that halt the operations of government either during a by-election or general election, instead on the contrary there exist a law that upholds the subsistence or continued existence of political office even during the General Election, such as the Offices of the President, Vice-President, Permanent Secretary, Deputy Permanent Secretary, council secretary, district commissioner, members of the diplomatic corps and technocrats of the government machinery.“
Mr Malambo said as such they find no violation in the said conduct by the Disaster Mitigation and Management Unit and its operatives.
And Mr Malambo has commended all political parties and other stakeholders for maintaining public tranquility in all the by- elections taking place across the country.