Celebrate peacefully, FODEP advises PF

By Ann Zulu

THE Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP) has called on the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) to celebrate their victory peacefully and avoid provoking supporters of other political parties.

FODEP executive director Shepard Chilombe

FODEP executive director Shepard Chilombe said it was important that the PF as the victors in the last general elections recognised the right of those who voted for other candidates, saying freedom choice entailed respecting the rights of others.

“Following the declaration of the winner of the presidential election on Monday, PF must be sensitive and celebrate peacefully to avoid provoking the losing parties. The result was close and as winners they should respect the losers, who are also quite substantial. Half of the electorate did not vote for the winning candidate,” Mr Chilombe said.

And Mr. Chilombe has appealed to the opposition, especially the UPND to exercise maximum restraint and avoid engaging in violent activities.

He advised the opposition to follow legal procedures if they were dissatisfied with the results.

He said there was need for Zambians to embrace each other after the elections, saying the electoral competition should not be turned into war.

“The Constitution of Zambia, Act number 2 and the Electoral Process Act provides legal avenues that can be uses in case of disputes over election results,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Chilombe claimed that the just ended general elections were marred by irregularities.

Mr Chilombe claimed that there was lack of transparency in the transmission, counting and announcement of results among others.

“We are concerned at the inefficiency that characterised the result management process, where the vital GEN12 Form caused tension. In some polling stations, the GEN12 Form was not available for endorsement by stakeholders, while in some cases, it was not signed by monitors.

“While we understand that the ECZ worked under adverse conditions and did everything to deliver a credible election, there is still a lot of work to be done and there is need for the Commission to address irregularities to avoid such mistakes in the future,” Mr Chilombe said.