Church body admonishes electoral commission to enforce laws for credible elections

The Christian Churches Monitoring Group (CCMG) has called on the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to enforce the Electoral Code of Conduct without fear by invoking provisions of the law against any candidate or political party whose actions threaten peaceful and credible elections.

This follows reports of violence in Muchinda ward of Serenje district between the Socialist Party and the ruling UPND ahead of the by-election slated for April 20, 2023.

CCMG Program Manager, Peter Mwanan’gombe, said the Zambia Police equally have a duty to provide security, maintain law and order and enforce the law.

Police should therefore perform their duties diligently without fear or favor and that they should investigate all acts of violation of the Electoral Code of Conduct without discrimination.

He said this in a statement issued in Lusaka on Wednesday.

“We call on the police to prosecute those involved in violence to the full extent of the law, and we call on the ECZ to invoke provisions of the Electoral Code of Conduct against the two parties who clearly violated the Code’s provisions in the Electoral Process Act,”Mwanan’gombe said.

He said the ECZ should invoke provisions of the Electoral Code of Conduct against the two parties who clearly violated the Code’s provisions in the Electoral Process Act.

“We are deeply concerned with the violence reported in Serenje in which UPND supporters caused damage to Socialist Party material and vehicles and we condemn the occurrence; equally, we are dismayed by the use of a firearm by Dr. M’membe and the consequent reported assault of UPND supporters,” he said.

Mwanan’gombe has also called on all stakeholders to support peaceful campaigns and voters not to engage in any electoral malpractice including sale or offering to sale their voter’s cards and or National Registration Cards (NRCs) ahead of the April 20, 2023 ward by-elections.

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